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LIFE 


OF 


JOHN    LEDYARD, 


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AMERICAN  TRAVELLER ; 


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rROM  HIS  JOURNALS  AND  CORRESPONDENCE. 


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BBCOMD  EDITION. 


CAMBRIDGE, 
PUBLISHED  BY  BILLIARD  AND  BROWN. 

1829. 


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DISTRICT  OF  HASSAOHUSETTS,  to  wit  I 

DIITEIOT  CLBBK'I  OmCS. 

Be  it  Temembefed,  that  on  tlie  twenty-fonrth  day  of  NoTember,  1897.  in  tlM 
flfty-Mcond  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America,  Hilliud, 
it  Brown,  of  the  laid  district,  have  deposited  in  this  office  the  title  of  a  book, 
the  right  whereof  they  claim  as  proprietors,  in  the  words  following,  to  wit: 

"The  Life  of  John  Ledyard,  the  American  Traveller ;  comprising  Belectiou 
firom  his  Journals  and  Gorrespondence.    By  Jared  Sparu." 

In  conformity  to  an  act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  entitled  <*  Aa 
act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  seonring  tlie  copies  of  maps,  charts, 
and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies  during  the  times  therein 
mentioned;"  and  also  to  an  act,  entitled  "An  act  supplementanr  to  an  act, 
entitled  *  An  act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  tbe  copies  of 
maps,  charts,  and  books  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies  during 
the  times  therein  mentioned ; '  and  extending  the  benefits  thereof  to  the  arta  or 
deaigning,  engraving,  and  etching  historical  and  other  prints." 

JNO.  W.  DAVIS, 

Clerk  of  the  District  of  MaMaohoMttt. 


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CAMBRIDOK  t         :^ 


HILLIARD,  METCALF,  AKD  COMTAKT, 
rBIHTBM  TO  THB  URITBBSITT. 


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PREFACE. 


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Soon  after  the  death  of  John  Ledyard,  the  subject  of 
'      the  following  memoir,  some  progress  was  made  in  col- 
lecting materials  for  an  account  of  his  life,  by  Dr  Isaac 
''   i<    Ledyard,  then  of  New  York.     The  biographer's  task 
was  never  begun,  however,  and  the  project  was  aban- 
doned ;  but  the  papers  procured  for  the  purpose  have 
been  preserved  by  the  family  of  Dr  Ledyard,  and  have 
<  f.  furnished  the  facts  for  much  the  larger  portion  of  the 

present  narrative.  Researches  have  also  been  made  in 
other  quarters,  and  important  original  letters  obtained. 
Particular  acknowledgment  is  due  to  Mr  Henry  Sey- 
mour, of  Hartford,  Connecticut,  for  the  aid  he  has 
rendered  in  this  respect.  All  the  papers  that  have  been 
used  are  entitled  to  the  credit  of  unquestionable  authen- 
ticity, r  ^  ■ 

^  Wherever  it  could  be  done,  without  deviating  too 
much  from  a  regular  and  proportionate  train  of  events, 
the  traveller  has  been  allowed  to  speak  for  himself.  His 
manner  of  thinking,  as  well  as  of  acting,  was  so  peculiar, 
that  a  true  picture  of  his  mind  and  genius,  his  mo- 
tives and  feelings,  could  with  difficulty  be  exhibited  in 
any  other  way  with  so  much  distinctness,  as  through  the 
medium  of  his  own  language.  Free  and  full  selections 
from  his  letters  and  journals  are  interspersed.     His 


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PREFACE. 


incessant  activity,  waAt  of  leisure,  and  few  opportuni- 
ties of  practising  composition  as  an  art,  afford  an  apology 
for  the  imperfections  of  his  style,  which  the  candid 
reader  will  regard  in  the  favorable  light  it  deserves. 
His  diction  is  never  polished,  and  his  words  are  not  al- 
ways well  chosen ;  but  his  ideas  are  oflen  original, 
copious,  well  combined,  and  forcibly  expressed. 

In  executing  this  work,  the  only  aim  has  been  to  bring 
together  a  series  of  facts  which  should  do  justice  to  the 
f(une  and  character  of  a  man,  who  possessed  qualities 
and  performed  deeds,  that  rendered  him  remarkable, 
and  are  worthy  of  being  remembered.  If  the  author 
has  been  successful  in  this  attempt,  he  is  rewarded  for 
the  labor  it  has  cost  him. 


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CONTENTS. 


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CHAPTER  I. 

Birth  and  parentage. — Early  education. — Begins  the  study  of 
the  law. — Enters  Dartmouth  Colleee  with  a  view  to  quuify 
himself  to  be  a  missionary  among  the  Indians. — State  of  the 
Indian  missions  at  that  time. — His  fondness  for  theatrical 
exhibitions  while  at  College. — Travels  among  the  Indians  of 
the  Six  Nations. — His  return  to  College,  and  adventure  in 
visiting  a  mountain. — Constructs  a  canoe  at  Dartmouth  Col- 
lege with  his  own  hands,  and  descends  the  Connecticut  river 
in  it  alone  to  Hartford. — Dangers  of  the  passage. — His 
singular  appearance  when  he  met  his  friends. — His  enter- 
prise compared  to  that  of  Mungo  Park  on  the  Niger. 


CHAPTER  II. 


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Ledyard's  singular  letter  to  President  Wheelock. — Commence* 
the  study  of  theology. — His  embarrassments  on  this  occa- 
sion.— Visits  several  clergymen  on  Long  Island,  and  pursues 
his  studies  there  for  a  short  time.^ — Proposes  teaching  a 
school. — Returns  to  Connecticut,  and  meets  with  disappomt-  ■'^■- 
ment  in  his  hopes  of  being  settled  as  a  clergyman. — Aban- 
dons his  purpose  of  studying  divinity. — ^»ils  from  New 
London  on  a  voyage  to  Gibraltar. — Enlistif  '  'veas  a  soldier 
in  the  regular  service. — Released  at  the  soue;ration  of  the 
captain  of  the  vessel  in  which  he  sailed. — Returns  hom* 
by  way  of  the  Barbary  Coast  and  the  West  Indies. — Re- 
solves to  visit  England,  and  seek  for  his  wealthy  family 
connexions  in  that  country.— -Sails  from  New  York  to 
Plymouth. — Travels  thence  to  London  in  extreme  poverty. 
— Realizes  none~  of  his  expectations. — ^Enlists  in  the  naval 
service. — Gains  an  acquaintance  with  Captain  Cook,  and 
embarks  with  him  on  his  last  voyage  round  the  world,  in  th* 
capacity  of  corporal  of  marines if 


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CONTENTS. 


*  CHAPTER  III. 

Ledyard'fl  Journal  of  hia  voyage  with  Captain  Coofc.— Testi- 
mony in  his  favor  by  Captain  Biimey. — Sails  for  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope. — Thence  to  Kerguelen's  Islands  and  the 
south  of  New  Holland. — Character  of  the  people  on  Van 
Diemen's  Land. — Present  state  of  the  colony  there. — Ar- 
rives in  New  Zealand. — Account  of  the  people,  their  man- 
ners and  peculiarities. — Remarkable  contrasts  exhibited  in 
their  character — Love  adventure  between  an  English  sailor 
and  a  New  Zealand  girl. — Omai,  the  Otaheitan. — Vessels 
depart  from  New  Zealand,  and  fall  in  with  newly  discover- 
ed islands. — Affecting  story  of  three  Utaheitans  found  on 
one  of  them. — Arrival  at  the  Friendly  Islands. — People  of 
Tongataboo. — Their  condition,  mode  of  living,  and  amuse- 
ments.— Ledyard  passes  a  night  with  the  King. — Wrestling 
and  other  athletic  exercises  descriiied. — Fireworks  exhibited 
by  Coolc. — Propensity  of  the  natives  to  thieving. — An  in- 
stance in  a  chief  called  Feenou,  and  the  extraordinary 
measures  used  to  recover  the  stolen  property. — Departure 
(roiD  To^^atabOQ.       ........ 


36 


■^i,i?^v 


CHAPTER  IV. 


Society  Islands. — Otaheite. — Ledyard's  description  of  the  lan- 
guage, customs,  religion,  laws,  and  government  of  the 
natives. — Their  probable  faith  in  the  doctrine  of  transmi- 
gration.— Remarks  on  his  mode  of  reasoning  on  this  sub- 
ject.— His  theory  of  the  oiigin  of  customs  and  superstitions. 
-.—Notions  of  a  Deity  among  the  Olaheitans. — Conduct  of 
Omai. — Difficulties  attending  the  efforts  to  civilize  savages. 
— Sandwich  Islands  discovered. — The  vessels  proceed  to 
the.  American  continent,  and  anchor  in  Nootka  Sound. — 
Appearance  and  manners  of  the  people. — Indian  wampum. 
•—•The  abundance  of  furs. — Cannibalism. — Curious  digres- 
sion on  the  origin  and  practice  of  sacrifices. — Captain 
Cook  passes  Bering's  Strait»  explores  the  northern  ocean 
till  stopped  by  the  ice,  and  returns  to  the  island  of  Ona- 
laska. — ^ends  Ledyard  with  two  Indians  in  search  of  a 
Russian  establishment  on  the  coast. — His  account  of  this 
adventure. — In  what  manner  he  was  ti-ansported  in  a  canoe. 
'—Village  of  Russians  and  Indians. — Hot  baths. — Their 
habitations  and  manner  of  living  described<— Bering's  ves- 
sel.— Ledyard  returns  to  the  ships,  and  reports  to  Captain 
Cook.— £xpeditio<:  returns  to  the  Sandwich  Islands. 


5& 


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«-* 


COMTEWTS. 


CHAPTER  V. 


TU 


The  ■hipa  anchored  in  Keurakekua  bay. — First  interriew  with 
the  natives. — Reverence  with  which  they  regarded  Cook. 
—Tents  erected  for  astronomical  observations. — Ceremo* 
nies  at  the  meeting  of  Cool(  with  the  old  idni;. — Ledyard 
forms  the  project  of  ascending  the  high  mountain  in  Ha' 
waii,  called  by  the  natives  Mouna  Roa. — Description  of 
his  ascent,  and  cause  of  his  ultimate  failure. — The  native* 
begin  to  stiow  symptoms  of  uneasiness  at  the  presence  of  the 
f trangers,  and  to  treat  them  with  disrespect. — Offended  at 
the  encroachment  made  on  their  Moral. — Cook  departs 
from  Kearakekua  bay,  but  is  compelled  to  return  by  a 
heavy  storm,  that  overtakes  him,  and  injures  his  ships. — 
Natives  receive  him  coldly. — They  steal  one  of  the  ship's 
boats,  which  Cook  endeavours  to  recover. — Goes  on  shore 
for  the  purpose. —  Is  tliere  attacked  by  the  natives  and 
flain. — Ledyard  accompanied  him  on  shore,  and  was  near 
his  person  when  killed. — His  description  of  the  event. — 
Expedition  Mils  for  Kamtschatka,  explores  again  the  Polar 
seas,  and  returns  to  England. — Lcdyard's  opinions  respect- 
ing the  first  peopling  of  the  South  Sea  Islands.— Ottier 
remarks  relating  to  this  subject,  founded  on  the  analogy 
of  languages  and  manners  of  the  people. — Characteristics 
of  Ledyard's  journal. — Estimation  in  which  he  held  Captain 


"% 


87 


*  CHAPTER  VI.       ^ 

Ledyard  returns  to  America. — Inter\'iew  with  his  mother  after 
an  absence  of  eight  years. — Passes  the  winter  in  Hartford, 
and  writes  his  Journal  of  Cook's  Voyage. — Visits  New 
York  and  Philadelphia  to  concert  with  the  merchants  a  plan 
of  a  commercial  expedition. — Robert  Morris  agrees  to 
engage  in  a  trading  voyage,  under  his  direction,  to  the 
Northwest  Coast. — Proceeds  to  Boston,  and  afterwards  to 
New  London  and  New  York,  to  procure  a  vessel  for  the 
purpose. — Failure  of  the  enterprise,  after  a  year  had  been 
spent  in  fruitless  attempts  to  carry  it  into  effect. — Letters 
to  his  mother. — Makes  a  trial  in  New  London  to  enlist  the  - 
merchants  of  that  place  in  his  scheme. — Was  the  first  to 
propose  a  /oyage  for  a  mercantile  adventure  to  the  North- 
west Coast. — Sails  for  Cadiz. — Letters  fiom  that  city  con-  -^ 
taining  political  remarks. — Sails  for  L'Orient. — Makes  an  '»  ' 
agreement  with  a  company  of  merchants  there  to  aid  Iiim 
in  such  a  voyage  as  he  had  proposed  in  America. — After 
eight  months'  preparation  it  is  given  up.— <Goea  to  Paris.      121 


I 


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CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


,  ■*      V, 


Meets  with  Mr.  Jefferson  at  Paris.— Project  of  a  voyage  to 
the  Northwest  Coast  with  Paul  Jones,  for  the  purpose  of 
establishing  a  trading  factory  tliere. — Proposes  travelHnK 
across  the  continent  from  Nootlca  Sound  to  the  United 
States. — Thinlcs  of  going  to  Africa  with  Mr  Lamb. — Re- 
marlcs  on  Parist,  and  various  objects  tliat  came  under  his 
notice. — The  King  at  Versailles. — Mr  Jefferson  and  Lafay- 
ette.— The  Queen  at  8t  Cloud. — Application  through  Baron 
Grimm  to  the  Empress  of  Russia,  to  obtain  permission  for 
him  to  travel  across  her  dominions  to  Bering's  Strait. — 
Colonel  Humphreys. — Contemplates  going  to  Petersburg, 
before  the  Empress'  answer  is  receiveiT — Curious  anecdote 
of  Sir  James  Hall.— Visit  to  the  hospitals  in  Paris.- Tour 
in  Normandy. — Proceeds  to  London,  where  he  cnmiges  a 
passage  on  board  a  vessel  just  ready  to  sail  for  the  North- 
west Coast. — Colonel  Smith's  letter  to  Mr  Jay. — The  voy- 
g;e  defeated. — Resolves  anew  to  go  to  Russia. — Sir  Joseph 
anlcs  and  other  gentlemen  contribute  funds  to  aid  him  in 
his  travels.         •#••«««..  14T 


^ 


■     1, 

r 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Ledyard  proceeds  to  Hamburg. — Goes  to  Copenhagen,  where 
he  meets  Major  Langborn,  another  American  traveller. — 
Endeavours  to  persuade  Langborn  to  accompany  him  in  his 
tour,  but  in  vain. — Continues  hisroute  to  Sweden,  and  is 
disappointed  in  not  being  able  to  cross  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia 
on  tne  ice. — ^Journey  round  the  Gulf  into  the  Arctic  Circle 
on  foot,  through  Sweden,  Lapland,  and  Finland. — Mauper- 
tuis's  description  of  the  cold  at  Tornea. — Arrives  at  Peters- 
burg, where  he  is  befriended  by  Professor  Pallas  and  others. 
— Procures  a  passport  from  the  Empress,  through  the  agency 
of  Count  Segur,  the  French  ambassador. — Sets  out  for 
Siberia,  and  travels  by  way  of  Moscow  to  Kazan,  a  town 
on  the  river  Wolga. — Grasses  the  Uralian  Mountains. — 
Some  account  of  the  city  of  Tobolsk. — Proceeds  to  Bar- 
naoul  and  Tomsk. — Descriptions  of  the  country  and  the 
inhabitants. — Character  and  condition  of  the  exiles  at 
Tomsk. — Fossil  Bones. — Curious  mounds  and  tombs  of  the 
ancient  natives. — Arrives  at  Irkutsk.  ..... 


* 


CHAPTER  IX. 


i 


\ 


171 


Residence  at  Irkutsk. — Miscellaneous  remarks  on  the  inhab- 
itants, and  the  productions  of  the  country. — Accounts  of 
'  the  Tartars. — Unsuccessful  attempts  to  civilize  them. — Fur 


\    ~ 


f    '-' 


■| 


CONTENTS. 


«    * 


trade  on  th«  American  coait. — Visit  to  tho  Lake  Baitcal.— 
FurUier  remarka  on  the  character  and  luauners  of  the  Kal« 
muka  and  other  Tartars.^ — Leaves  Irkutsk  for  the  river  Lena. 
— Scenery  around  the  Baikal. — Riverm  flowing  into  it. — 
Extraordinary  depth  of  its  waters. — They  are  fresh,  bul 
contain  seals,  and  fish,  peculiar  to  the  ocean. — Estimate 
of  the  number  of  rivers  in  Siberia,  and  of  tho  nuaiitity  of  - 
water  they  pour  into  the  Frozen  Ocean. — Ledyard  nroceede 
down  the  Lena  in  a  bateau. — Romantic  scenery  along;  the 
margin  of  the  river. — Hospitality  of  the  inhabitants. — Ends 
his  voyage  at  Yakutsk 199 


CHAPTER  X. 

Interview  with  the  Commandant  of  Yakutsk. — Stopped  at  this 
place  on  account  of  tho  advanced  state  of  the  season. — His 
severe  disappointment  at  this  event. — Detained  under  false 
pretences. — ^Takes  up  his  residence  in  Yakutsk  for  the 
winter. — Elephants'  bones  on  the  banks  of  the  Lena,  and  in 
other  parts  or  the  country. — General  leniarks  on  tho  various 
tribes  of  Tartars  in  Siberia. — Characteiistics  of  savages  in  - 
cold  and  warm  climates. — Kalmuks  have  two  moden  of 
writing. — Their  manner  of  living. — The  Yakuti  Tartars.  — 
Influence  of  religion  upon  them. — The  love  of  freedom 
common  to  all  the  Tartars. — Their  dwellings. — Intermar- 
riages between  the  Russians  and  Tartars. — In  what  degree 
the  color  of  descendants  is  affected  by  such  intermarriages. 
— Peculiarities  of  features  in  the  Tartar  countenance. —  vi 
Form  and  use  of  the  Tartar  pipe. — Dress. — Difliculty  of 
taking  vocabularies  of  unknown  languages. — Marriage  cere- 
monies.— Notions  of  theology. — Practice  of  scalping. — 
Wampum. — Classification  of  the  Tartars  and  North  Ameri- 
can Indians. — Language  a  criterion  forjudging  of  the  affinity 
between  the  different  races  of  men. — Causes  of  the  differ- 

'  ence  of  color  in  the  human  race. — Tartars  and  American 
Indians  the  same  people.         ,        ,         ,        ,         ,         .  217 


-*'  *"     CHAPTER  XL 

Climate  in  Siberia. — Extreme  cold. — Congelation  of  quicksil- 
ver.— Images  in  Russian  houses. — Attention  paid  to  dogs. — 
Ice  windows.— Jealousy  of  the  Russians. — Moral  condition 
of  the  Russians  in  Siberia. — Ledyard's  celebrated  eulogy  on 
women. — Captain  Billings  meets  him  at  Yakutsk,  on  his 
return  from  the  Frozen  Ocean. — Bering's  discovery  of  the 
strait  called  after  his  name — Russian  voyages  of  discovery. 
— Bering's  death. — Russian  fur  trade. — ^Billings's  eKpe.di- 


■  ) 


I 


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CONTENTS. 


r) 


Uon. — His  incompetency  to  the  undertaking.— His  institio* 
tions  nearly  tbn  same  as  those  drawn  up  by  Peter  the  Great 
for  Bering.— some  of  their  principal  features  enumerated.     246 


pM     ,.^ 


'f^ 


CHAPTER  XII. 

Ledyard  departs  from  Yakutsk,  and  returns  to  Irkutsk  up  the 
Lena  on  the  ice. — Is  seized  by  order  of  the  Empress,  and 
hurried  off  in  the  charge  of  two  guards. — Returns  through 
Siberia  to  Kazan.  His  remarks  on  the  peculiarity  of  his  fate. 
— Further  observations  on  the  Tartars. — No  good  account 
of  them  has  ever  been  written. — Passes  Moscow  and  ar- 
rives in  Poland. — Left  by  his  guards,  with  an  injunction 
never  to  appear  again  in  Russia. — Health  much  impaired 
by  his  sufferings. — Proceeds  to  Konigsberg,  and  thence 
to  London. — Inquiry  into  the  motives  of  the  Empress  for 
her  cruel  treatment  of  him. — Her  pretences  of  humanity 
not  to  be  credited. — Her  declaration  to  Count  Segur  on  the 
subject. — ^Dr  Clarke's  explanation  incorrect.— ^lie  true 
cause  was  the  jealousy  of  the  Russian  American  Fur  Com- 
pany, by  whose  influence  his  recall  was  procured  from  the 
Empress. — Lafayette's  remark  on  her  conduct  in  this  par- 
ticular.      ,        f-      ,        ,        ,        ,        ,        ,   '    , 


41 


261 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


■a. 


Intervitw  with  Sir  Joseph  Banks  in  London. — Engages  to 
travel  in  Africa  under  the  auspices  of  the  African  Associ- 
ation.— Remarkable  instance  of  decision  of  character. — 
Letter  to  Dr  Ledyard,  containing  miscellaneous  particulars 
respecting  his  travels  and  circumstances. — Descriptioh  of 
his  Siberian  dresses. — Origin  and  purposes  of  the  African 
Association. — Ancient  and  present  state  of  Africa. — Bene- 
fits of  discoveries  in  that  continent. — Letter  from  Ledyard 
to  his  mother. — His  remarks  to  Mr  Beaufoy  on  his  depar- 
ture for  Egypt. — Visits  Mr  Jefferson  and  Lafayette  in  Paris. 
— Sails  from  Marseilles  to  Alexandria  in  Egypt. — Descrip- 
tion of  Alexandria,  in  a  letter  to  Mr  Jefferson. — ^Anives  in 
Cairo. — Description  of  the  city,  and  of  his  passage  up  the 
NUe .        .        . 


«■ 


■^r 


278 


^       CHAPTER  XIV. 

Remarks  on  the  appearance  of  the  country  in  passing  up  the 

,  Mile. — Condition  of  a  Christian  at  Cairo. — Interview  with 

the  Aga. — Miscellaneous  observations  on  the  customs  of 


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the  AralM,  and  other  racei  of  people  found  in^idro.— In- 
foimation  respecting  the  interior  of  Africa.'4«knsit  to  the 
caravans  and  slave  marlcets. — ^The  traveller's  reflections  on 
his  condition  and  prospects. — His  last  letter  to  Mr  Jeffei^ 
Mn.— Joins  a  caravan  and  prepares  to  depart  for  Sennaar. — 
He  Is  taken  suddenly  iD. — His  death. — Account  of  his  pe»- 
•on  and  character. 294 


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V  rmi    CHAPTER  L        '  s 

Birth  and  parentage. — Early  education. — Begins  the  study  of  the 
law. — Enters  Dartmouth  College  with  a  view  to  qualify  himself 
to  be  a  missionary  among  the  Indians. — State  of  the  Indian 
missions  at  that  time. — His  fondness  for  theatrical  exhibitions 
wiiile  at  College. — Travels  among  the  Indians  of  the  Six  Na- 
tions.-:-His  return  to  College,  and  adventure  in  visiting  a  moun- 
tain. Constructs  a  canoe  at  Dartmouth  College  with  his  own 
hands,  and  descends  the  Connecticut  river  in  it  alone  to  Hart- 
ford.— Dangers  of  the  passage. — His  singular  appearance  when 
he  met  his  friends. — His  enterprise  compared  to  that  of  Mungo 
Paik  on  the  Niger. 

John  I<edyabd,  the  celebrated  traveller,  was 
born  in  the  year  1751,  at  Groton,  in  Connecticut,  a 
small  village  on  the  bank  of  the  river  Thames,  op- 
posite to  New  London.  The  place  of  his  birth  is 
but  a  few  hundred  yards  from  Fort  Griswold,  so 
well  known  in  the  history  of  the  American  revolu- 
tion. 

His  grandfather,  named  also  John  Ledyard,  came 
in  early  life  to  America,  and  settled  at  Southold, 
Long  Island,  as  a  small  trader  in  dry  goods.  He 
was  a  native  of  Bristol,  England,  and  had  been  bred 
a  merchant  in  London.  Being  prosperous  in  busi- 
ness at  Southold,  he  was  soon  married  to  a  lady  of 

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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


amiable  qualities  and  good  fortune,  the  daughter  of 
Judge  Young,  a  gentleman  of  character  and  influ- 
ence in  that  place.  From  Southold  he  removed  to 
Groton,  where  he  purchased  an  estate,  and  resided 
many  years.  He  had  ten  children,  and  after  the 
death  of  his  wife  he  removed  to  Hartford,  in  Con- 
necticut, and  there  spent  the  remainder  of  his  hfe.  . 
For  his  second  wife  he  married  Mrs  Ellery,  a  re- 
spectable widow  lady  of  Boston.        " 

To  his  eldest  son,  who  had  the  same  name  as 
himself,  he  gave  the  estate  at  Groton.  He  was  a 
sea  captain,  engaged  in  the  West  India  trade,  a  man 
of  sound  understanding,  vigorous  constitution,  and 
industrious  habits.  But  he  died  at  the  age  of  thirty- 
five,  leaving  a  widow  and  four  children,  three  sons 
and  one  daughter,  of  whom  the  subject  of  this  me- 
moir was  the  eldest.  Colonel  William  Ledyard,  the 
brave  commander  in  the  memorable  action  of  Fort 
Griswold,  who  was  slain  after  the  capitulation,  was 
the  second  son.  71Z..  " "^'y""' ''^^^^  '"  '* 

It  thus  appears,  that  John  Ledyard,  the  traveller, 
was  the  third  of  that  name  in  lineal  descent.  His 
mother,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Robert  Hempsted 
of  Southold,  has  been  described  as  a  lady  of  many 
excellencies  of  mind  and  character,  beautiful  in  per- 
son, well  informed,  resolute,  generous,  amiable,  kind, 
and  above  all  eminent  for  piety  and  the  religious 
virtues.  Such  a  mother  is  the  best  gift  of  Heaven 
to  a  family  of  helpless  young  children.  In  the  pres- 
ent instance  all  her  courage  and  all  her  strength  of 
character  were  necessary,  to  carry  her  through  the 
duties  and  trials,  which  devolved  upon  her.  The 
small  estate,  which  had  belonged  to  her  husband  in 
Groton,  was,  by  some  strange  neglect  of  her  friends, 
or  criminal  fraud  never  yet  explained,  taken  from 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD.  3 

her  soon  after  his  death.  During  a  visit  to  Long 
Island,  the  deed,  which  she  had  left  with  a  confi- 
dential person,  disappeared.  As  this  deed  was  the 
only  evidence  of  her  title  to  the  property,  and  her 
claim  could  not  be  substantiated  without  it,  the  whole 
reverted  to  its  former  owner,  her  husband's  father, 
who  was  still  living.  The  particulars  of  lliis  trans- 
action are  not  now  known,  nor  is  it  necessary  to 
inquire  into  them.  It  is  enough  to  state  the  fact,  that 
such  an  event  occurred,  and  that  the  widowed 
mother  with  four  infant  children  was  thus  thrown 
destitute  upon  the  world.  In  this  condition  she  and 
her  children  repaired  to  the  house  of  her  father  in 
Southold,  where  they  found  protection  and  support. 
The  estate  at  Groton  afterwards  fell  into  the  hands 
of  Colonel  William  Ledyard. 

It  may  be  supposed,  that  misfortune  did  not  weak- 
en her  parental  solicitude,  nor  make  her  neglectful 
of  her  high  trust.  The  education  of  her  children 
was  the  absorbing  object  of  her  thoughts  and  exer- 
tions. Her  eldest  son  was  now  of  an  age  to  receive 
impressions,  that  would  become  deeply  wrought  into 
his  mind,  and  give  a  decided  bias  to  his  future  char- 
acter. In  the  marked  features  of  his  eventful  life, 
eccentric  and  extraordinary  as  it  was,  full  of  temp- 
tations, crosses,  and  sufferings,  may  often  be  traced 
lineaments  of  virtues,  and  good  impulses,  justly  re- 
ferred to  such  a  source,  to  the  early  cares  and  coun- 
sels of  a  judicious,  sensible,  and  pious  mother.  Nor 
were  these  counsels  scattered  in  a  vacant  mind,  nor 
these  cares  wasted  on  a  cold  heart ;  in  his  severest 
disappointments  and  privations,  in  whatever  clime  or 
among  whatever  people,  whether  contending  with  the 
fierce  snows  of  Siberia,  or  the  burning  sands  of 
Africa,  the  image  of  his  mother  always  came  with  a 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


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beam  of  joy  to  his  soul,  and  was  cherished  thisre 
with  delight.  Such  of  his  letters  to  her,  as  have 
been  preserved,  are  written  with  a  tenderness  of 
filial  affection,  that  could  flow  only  from  an  acute 
sensibility  and  a  good  heart. 

A  few  years  after  leaving  Groton,  and  settling  at 
Southold,  Mrs  Ledyard  was  married  to  a  second 
husband,  Dr  Moore  of  the  latter  place.  At  this 
time  her  son  John  was  taken  into  the  family  of  his 
grandfather  at  Hartford,  who,  from  that  period, 
seems  to  have  considered  him  as  wholly  under  his 
charge.  Tradition  tells  of  peculiarities  in  his  man- 
ners and  habits  at  this  early  age,  of  acts  indicating 
the  bent  of  his  genius,  and  the  romantic  disposition, 
that  gave  celebrity  to  his  after  life.  But  no  record 
of  his  schoolboy  adventures  has  come  down  to  Us, 
and  we  are  left  to  conjecture  in  what  manner  the 
wild  spirits  of  a  youth  like  his  would  exhibit  them- 
selves. He  attended  the  grammar  school  in  Hart- 
ford, it  is  to  be  presumed,  with  commendable 
proficiency,  since  he  was  at  first  designed  for  the 
profession  of  the  law.  Several  months  were  passed 
by  him  as  a  student  in  the  ofiice  of  Mr  Thomas 
Seymour,  a  respectable  lawyer  of  that  place,  who 
had  married  his  aunt.  Meantime  his  grandfather 
died,  and  Mr  Seymour  became  his  guardian,  and 
took  him  to  his  own  house.  Whether  Ledyard 
turned  his  thoughts  to  the  law  by  his  voluntary 
choice,  or  by  the  advice  and  wishes  of  his  friends, 
who  desired  to  quiet  his  temper,  by  fixing  him  in 
some  settled  pursuit,  is  not  related  ;  most  probably 
the  latter,  for  it  was  soon  manifest,  that  neither  the 
profound  wisdom,  the  abstruse  learning,  nor  the 
golden  promises  of  the  law,  had  any  charms  for  him. 
It  was  decided  without  reluctance  on  his  part,  therC'^ 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


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fore,  that  he  should  leave  the  path,  which  he  had 
found  so  intricate,  and  in  which  he  had  made  so 
little  progress,  and  enter  upon  one  more  congenial 
to  his  inclination,  and  presenting  objects  more  at- 
tractive to  his  taste  and  fancy. 

Here  was  a  difficult  point  to  be  determined.  The 
pursuit,  which  would  accord  best  with  the  propensi- 
ties, temperament,  and  wishes  of  John  Ledyard,  and 
best  promote  his  future  usefubess  and  success,  was 
a  thing  not  to  be  decided,  even  at  that  time  of  his 
life,  by  the  common  rules  of  judging  in  such  cases; 
it  was  a  preliminary,  which  no  one  probably  would 
have  been  more  perplexed  than  himself  to  establish. 
Never  was  he  accustomed  to  look  forward  with  un- 
wavering predilections,  to  prepare  for  contingencies, 
or  to  mark  out  a  course  from  which  he  would  not 
stray.  To  be  seeking  some  distant  object,  imposing 
and  attractive  in  his  own  conceptions,  and  to  move 
towards  it  on  the  tide  of  circumstances,  through 
perils  and  difficulties,  were  among  the  chief  pleasures 
of  his  existence.  On  enterprises,  in  which  no  ob- 
stacles were  to  be  encountered,  no  chances  to  be 
run,  no  disappointments  to  be  apprehended,  no  re- 
wards of  hazardous  adventure  to  be  looked  for,  he 
bestowed  not  a  thought ;  but  let  a  project  be  started, 
thickly  beset  with  dangers,  and  promising  success 
only  trough  toils  and  sufferings,  deeds  of  courage, 
and  the  resolute  efforts  of  an  untiring  spirit,  and  not 
a  man  would  grasp  at  it  so  eagerly,  or  pursue  it  with 
so  much  intenseness  of  purpose.  The  wholesome 
maxim  of  providing  for  the  morrow  rarely  found  a 
place  in  his  ethics  or  his  praptice  ;  and  as  he  never 
allowed  himself  to  anticipate  misfortunes,  so  he 
never  took  any  pains  to  guard  against  them. 

He  was  now  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  with  very 
1* 


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LITE  OF  JdHN  LEBYAttD. 


narrow  means,  few  friends,  and  no  definite  prospects. 
In  this  state  of  his  affairs,  as  it  was  necessary  for 
something  to  be  done,  he  was  compelled  to  look 
around  him,  and  for  a  moment  to  exercise  that  fore- 
sight, which  the  tenor  of  his  life  proves  him  to  have 
been  so  reluctant  on  most  occasions  to  call  to  his  aid. 
And,  after  all,  he  was  more  indebted  to  accident, 
than  to  his  own  deliberations,  for  the  immediate 
events,  that  awaited  him.  Dr  Wheelock,  the  amia- 
ble and  pious  founder  of  Dartmouth  College,  had 
been  the  intimate  friend  of  his  grandfather,  and 
prompted  by  the  remembrance  of  this  tie,  he  invited 
.  Ledyard  to  enter  his  institution,  recently  established 
at  Hanover,  New  Hampshire,  amidst  the  forests  on 
the  banks  of  the  Connecticut  river.  This  offer  was 
accepted,  and  in  the  spring  of  1772,  he  took  up  his 
residence  at  this  new  seat  of  learning,  with  the  ap- 
parent intention  of  qualifying  himself  to  become  a 
missionary  among  the  Indians. 

His  mother's  wishes  and  advice  had  probably  much 
influence  in  guiding  him  to  this  resolution.  In  ac- 
cordance with  the  religious  spirit  of  that  day,  she 
felt  a  strong  compassion  for  the  deplorable  state  of 
the  Indians,  and  it  was  among  her  earliest  and  fond- 
est hopes  of  this  her  favorite  son,  that  he  would  be 
educated  as  a  missionary,  and  become  an  approved 
instrument  in  the  hands  of  Providence  to  bring  these 
degraded  and  suffering  heathen  to  the  knowledge  of  a 
pure  religion,  and  the  blessings  of  civilized  life. 
When  she  saw  this  door  opened  for  the  realizing  of 
her  hopes,  and  her  son  placed  under  the  charge  of 
the  most  eminent  laborer  of  his  day  in  the  cause  of 
the  Indians,  her  joy  was  complete.  ■■^<iT^% 

From  the  first  settlement  of  the  country,  much 
zeal  and  much  disinterested  philanthropy  have  been 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


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exercised,  in  attempts  to  convert  the  Indians  to 
Christianity,  and  induce  them  to  adopt  the  manners 
and  participate  the  comforts  of  civilized  men.  Eliot 
(rightly  named  the  Apostle  of  the  Indians),  and  the 
Mayhews,  are  entitled  to  the  praises,  which  succeed- 
ing times  have  bestowed  upon  them  ;  and  the  efforts 
of  the  Society  in  Great  Britain  for  propagating  the 
Gospel  in  foreign  parts,  were  prompted  by  motives 
of  the  noblest  kind,  and  were  bestowed  with  an 
ardor  and  with  sacrifices,  that  demand  a  generous 
tribute  from  the  pen  of  history,  and  the  grateful  re- 
membrance of  posterity.  For  many  years  little  had 
been  done,  however,  till  the  popular  talents  and  fer- 
vent zeal  of  David  Brainerd  caused  the  journals  of 
his  missionary  tours  to  be  read  throughout  the  coun- 
try, his  labors  applauded,  and  his  success  regarded 
as  an  evidence  of  the  great  work,  that  might  be 
wrought  by  the  use  of  proper  means. 

About  this  time  the  Reverend  Eleazer  Wheelock, 
who  was  then  a  settled  clergyman  in  Lebanon,  Con- 
necticut, formed  the  scheme  of  an  Indian  School, 
which  should  have  the  double  object  of  preparing 
young  preachers  for  the  missionary  field,  and  of 
educating  Indian  youth,  who  should  return  to  their 
tribes,  and  become  teachers  among  their  own  people. 
Without  show  or  ostentation  Dr  Wheelock  com- 
menced the  school  at  his  own  house,  and  almost  at 
his  own  charge.  He  began  with  two  pupils,  one  of 
whom  was  Sampson  Occum,  an  Indian  of  the  Mo- 
hegan  tribe,  afterwards  so  much  celebrated  as  a 
preacher,  and  for  his  instructions  to  the  Indians. 
The  school  gradually  increased,  and  so  benevolent 
an  undertaking,  pursued  with  such  singleness  of 
purpose,  could  not  fail  to  attract  public  notice  and 
approbation.     He  was  aided  by  contributions  from 


'4 


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^''./.-  -i 


\    V 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


I 


individuals,  and  the  province  of  Massachusetts  voted 
to  pay,  for  a  certain  time,  the  expense  of  educating 
six  Indian  children.  Mr  Joshua  Moor,  who  owned 
lands  in  Lebanon,  gave  a  portion  of  them  for  the 
benefit  of  this  school,  and  from  this  circumstance, 
the  seminary  for  the  education  of  Indian  boys,  after- 
wards attached  to  Dartmouth  College,  was  called 
Moor*s  Indian  School. 

But  Dr  Wheelock  still  found,  that  pupils  from  the 
forest  flocked  to  him  faster,  than  he  could  provide 
for  them.  He  thought  it  now  time  to  adopt  the  ex- 
pedient of  sending  to  England,  and  soliciting  assist- 
ance from  the  wealthy  and  charitable  on  the  other 
side  of  the  water.  For  this  object  Sampson  Occum, 
and  another  clergyman,  were  sent  out  as  agents, 
furnished  with  testimonials  of  their  character,  and 
certificates  of  approbation  from  eminent  persons  in 
the  colonies.  Cecum  was  looked  upon  as  a  wonder 
in  England.  He  was  the  first  Indian  preacher  from 
North  America,  that  ever  had  been  seen  in  the  Old 
World  5  wherever  he  went,  crowds  gathered  around 
him,  and  it  has  been  the  lot  of  few  speakers  to  ad- 
dress audiences  so  thronged.  A  North  American 
Indian  in  a  pulpit,  eloquently  preaching  in  the  Eng- 
lish tongue,  was  a  phenomenon  too  nearly  miraculous 
to  pass  unseen  or  unheard.  It  was  said,  moreover, 
that  he  exhibited  in  his  person  and  character,  a 
practical  example  of  what  might  be  done  with  In- 
dians, when  fairly  brought  under  the  influence  of 
instruction.  All  this  was  highly  favorable  to  the 
great  ends  of  the  mission,  and  in  a  few  months  a 
subscription  was  obtained,  and  money  paid  to  the 
amount  of  nearly  ten  thousand  pounds.  The  king 
gave  two  hundred  pounds,  and  several  gentlemen 
one  hundred  each.    The  money  was  deposited  in 


y  ,  ^ 


~T.^--'-.sSvr-^ 


♦  t 


:•*; 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


the  hands  of  trustees  in  England,  and  drawn  out  as 
occasion  required.  With  this  addition  to  his  resour- 
ces, Dr  Wheelock  began  to  think  of  enlarging  the 
plan  of  his  school,  and  removing  nearer  to  the  fron- 
tiers, both  to  diminish  the  expense  of  living,  and  to 
be  nearer  the  Indians.  After  examining  several 
situations,  he  selected  Hanover,  then  almost  a 
vv'ilderness,  to  which  place  he  removed  in  1770,  cut 
away  the  trees,  and  erected  the  institution,  which  he 
called  Dartmouth  College^  in  honor  of  Lord  Dart- 
mouth, who  had  manifested  zeal  and  liberality  in 
collecting  the  Indian  fund  in  England. 

To  this  college,  about  two  years  after  it  was  found- 
ed, Ledyard  resorted  to  prepare  himself  for  the 
arduous  office  of  a  missionary  among  the  Indians. 
The  nature  of  a  missionary's  life  at  that  time,  and 
the  prospects  of  the  young  candidate  for  such  a 
station,  may  be  fully  realized  by  a  perusal  of  the 
letters  from  the  Reverend  Samuel  Kirkland  to  Dr 
Wheelock,  written  previously  to  the  removal  from 
Lebanon.  Mr  Kirkland  was  a  graduate  of  Nassau 
Hall,  in  New  Jersey,  and  when  qualified  for  the 
ministry,  he  undertook  a  mission ,  to  the  Seneca 
Indians,  the  most  remote  and  fierce  of  the  confede- 
rate nations.  He  continued  there  more  than  a  year 
and  a  half,  and  gained  the  confidence  of  some  .of 
the  chief  persons  of  the  tribe  ;  but  so  general  was 
the  aversion  to  the  whites,  and  to  the  arts  of  civiliz- 
ed life,  that  after  a  thorough  experiment,  he  des- 
paired of  any  such  success  as  would  be  adequate  to 
the  sacrifices  he  must  make,  and  the  sufferings 
he  must  endure.  Leaving  the  Senecas,  therefore, 
he  next  proceeded  to  the  Oneidas,  with  whom  he 
took  up  a  permanent  residence.  Here  poverty, 
and  famine,  and  wretchedness  stared  him  in  the 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


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face.*  Nor  were  these  the  worst  etils,  with  which 
he  was  obliged  to  contend.  The  capricious  temper 
and  furious  passions  of  the  savages,  especially  when 
intoxicated,  frequently  put  his  life  in  jeopnrdy,  and 
kept  him  in  a  state  of  unceasing  alarm.  All  these 
tilings  were  endured  by  Mr  Kirkland  with  a  christian 
fortitude,  which  nothing  but  a  deep  sense  of  the 
sacred  nature  of  his  duties  could  have  enabled  him 
to  maintain.  He  triumphed  at  last ;  he  lived  many 
years  with  the  Oneidas,  and  had  the  satisfaction  to 
jsee,  tliat  his  toils  were  not  fruitless.     The  Indians 


*  During  the  first  year  of  his  sojourning  with  this  tribe  (1767) 
Jie  wrote  to  Dr  Wheelocic  as  follows. 

"  I  am  distressed  to  know  what  to  do ;  the  present  po\  ett"  of 
these  people  cries  aloud  for  the  charity  of  God's  people ;  two 
years  ago  their  com  was  cut  off  by  the  frost,  last  ycur  lestroycd 
by  the  vermin,  and  worms  threaten  the  destruction  of  one  half  of 
Ihe  present  crop.  Many  of  them  for  a  month  paM  have  eat  but 
once  a  day,  and  yet  continue  to  work.  From  week  lo  week  I  am 
.obliged  to  go  eeling  with  the  Indians  at  Oneida  Lake  for  my  sub- 
sistence, r have  feasted  and  starved  with  them,  as  their  luck  du- 
pends  on  wind  and  weather.  If  it  should  be  asked,  why  they  do 
not  support  me,  the  answer  is  ready,  They  cannot  support  them- 
pelves.  They  are  now  half  starved.  Some  of  them  have  no  more 
than  two  quarts  of  corn.  1  fear  my  appearing  in  such  a  servile, 
beggarly  manner  wil'  very  much  disserve  the  design  in  view ;  but 
i  must  desist,  tnju  go  down  to  the  lake  for  eels  this  day,  and  re- 
turn tomorrow  to  hill  my  com  and  potatoes." 

Again  a  fen-  week^i  afterwards  he  wrote,  "  Through  the  tender 
mercies  of  God,  I  enjoy  some  degree  of  health,  amidst  all  my 
troubles  and  distresses,  though  my  strength  begins  to  fail.  I  cannot 
subsist  long  without  relief.  I  have  ate  no  flesh  in  my  own  house  for 
near  eight  weeks.  Flour  and  milk,  with  a  few  eels,  have  been  mv 
Uving.  Such  diet,  with  my  hard  labor  abroad,  doth  not  satisfy 
nature.  My  poor  people  are  almost  starved  to  death.  I  am  griev- 
ed to  ihe  heart  for  them.  There  is  one  family,  consisting  of  four, 
I  must  support  after  my  fashion,  till  squashes  come  on,  or  they 
must  perish.  They  have  had  nothing  this  ten  days,  but  what  I 
have  given  them.  They  have  only  each  n m  old  ^>lanket  not  worth 
sixpence,  wherewith  to  buy  anything;  u.:..  .;..ii!p.^  here  at  this 


season  would  be  a  \  oi-y  poor  business. 
the  opportunity  to  fall  on  my  knees  for  s 
0e$A  cftst  tQ  the  dogs." 


oiJiM  ;'«.''■  be  glad    . 
u '  ■<:,u*i  w  t  have  Qft«ja 

)  • 


< 
'.*, 


l\ 


■•:' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


II 


revered  \nm  i?)  a  father ;  they  had  the  wisdom  to 
respect  and  sometimes  to  follow  his  counsels ;  a  visi- 
ble change  took  place  in  their  character  pnd  modes 
of  life  ;  the  i»>ugh  features  of  the  savage  were  soft- 
ened, farnii  r>  and  ,,i  )t  chased  away,  and  the 
comforts  of  hfe  multiplied.  Those  advantages  the 
sons  of  the  forest  sa  v  and  felt.  No  man  has  ever 
been  more  successful  than  Mr  Kifkland  in  improving 
tlie  condition  of  the  Indians,  and  to  the  last  day  of 
his  life,  he  continued  to  receive  from  then^  earnest 
demonstrations  of  affection  and  gratitude.**^ 

To  this  brief  sketch  it  is  hardly  necessary  to  add, 
that  when  the  revolutionary  war  camr  on,  a  check 
was  given  to  the  designs  of  the  benevolent  in  behalf 
of  the  Indians.  They  engaged  in  the  strife,  which 
had  been  kindled  by  their  white  neighl»ors,  and  the 
voice  of  the  missionary  was  silenced  by  the  war 
whoop,  and  the  din  of  battle.  Many  ol  Dt  Wheel- 
ock's  Indian  pupils,  having  gone  throiigh  a  regular 
course  of  instruction,  had  returned  to  th^ir  homes, 
and  were  beginning  to  diffuse  the  light  th(  v  had  re- 
ceived ;  but  their  influence  was  lost  amids  the  rav- 
ages of  war.  Much  was  it  to  be  lamented,  that  the 
agency  of  a  school,  to  which  Dr  Wheelock  had  de- 
voted the  years  of  a  long  and  toilsome  life,  and 
which  had  awakened  a  lively  interest  in  the  friends 
of  humanity,  should  be  so  soon  brought  to  .  n  end, 
and  nothing  be  seen  in  the  result  but  a  melancholy 
waste  of  time,  talents,  and  money. 


*Id  speaking  of  this  subject,  the  name  of  John  Thornton  hould 
not  be  forgotten.  He  was  a  wealthy  English  gentlemai  who 
was  active  in  procuring  donations  to  the  Indian  fund,  and  h  naself 
a  large  contributor;  he  gave  Sampson  Occum  a  pension  of  one 
hundred  dollars  a  year,  sent  private  aid  to  Dr  Wheelock  an  i  Mr 
Kirkland,  wrote  them  frequent  letters  of  encouragement,  and  was 
never  weary,  either  by  personal  exertions  or  charitable  gifts,  of 
promoting  the  cause  of  Indian  Missions. 


w 


13 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


/' 


'■C?  i 


Such  was  the  condition  of  a  missionary  among 
the  Indians,  and  such  the  origin  and  purpose  of  the 
Institution,  to  which  Ledyard  resorted  for  an  educa- 
tion, which  should  qualify  him  to  enter  upon  his 
destined  task.  Not  many  memorials  remain  of  his 
college  hfe.  The  whole  time  of  his  residence  at 
Dartmouth  was  not  more  than  one  year,  and  during 
that  period  he  was  absent  three  months  and  a  half^ 
rambling  among  the  Indians.  A  classmate  still  living 
recollects,  that  he  had  then  some  amusing  singulari- 
ties, was  cheerful  and  gay  in  conversation,  winning 
in  his  address,  and  a  favorite  with  his  fellow  students. 
His  journey  from  Hartford  to  Hanover  was  perform-^ 
ed  in  a  sulkey,  the  first  vehicle  of  the  kind,  that 
had  ever  been  seen  on  Dartmoutli  plain ;  and  it  at- 
tracted curiosity  not  more  from  tliis  circumstance, 
than  from  the  odd  appearance  of  the  equipage. 
Both  the  horse  and  the  sulkey  gave  evident  tokens 
of  having  known  better  days  ;  arid  the  dress  of  their 
owner  was  peculiar,  bidding  equal  defiance  to  sym- 
metry of  proportions  and  the  fashion  of  the  times. 
In  addition  to  tlie  traveller's  own  weight,  this  ancient 
vehicle  was  burdened  with  a  quantity  of  calico  for 
curtains,  and  other  articles  to  assist  in  theatrical 
exhibitions,  of  which  he  was  very  fond.  From  the 
character  of  this  outfit  we  may  conclude,  that  he 
did  not  intend  time  should  pass  on  heavy  wings  at 
Dartmouth.  Considermg  the  newness  of  the  coun- 
try, the  want  of  bridges,  and  the  bad  state  of  the 
roads,  this  jaunt  in  a  crazy  sulkey  was  thought  to  in- 
dicate no  feeble  spirit  of  enterprise.  The  journey 
might  have  been  performed  with  much  more  ease 
and  expedition  on  horseback,  but  in  that  case  his 
theatrical  apparatus  must  have  been  left  behind. 

As  a  scholar  at  college  he  was  respectable,  but 


'*n- 


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'itmf*i»tikji  .M^T"' 


^"ii  •'  '>■  ••i:M 


li 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


■Hs 


not  over-diligent  j  he  acquired  knowledge  with  fa- 
cility, and  could  make  quick  progress,  when  he 
chose,  but  he  was  impatient  under  discipline,  and 
thought  nothing  more  irksome,  than  to  go  by  com- 
pulsion to  a  certain  place  at  certain  times,  and  tread 
from  day  to  day  the  same  dull  circle  of  the  chapel, 
the  recitation  room,  the  commons  hall,  and  the  study. 
It  is  not  affirmed,  that  he  ever  ventured  to  set  up 
any  direct  hostility  to  the  powers  that  ruled,  but  he 
sometimes  demeaned  himself  in  a  manner,  that  must 
take  from  him  the  praise  of  a  shining  example  of 
willing  subordination.  In  those  primitive  times  the 
tones  of  a  bell  had  not  been  heard  in  the  forests  of 
Dartmouth,  and  the  students  were  called  together 
by  the  sound  of  a  conch-shell,  which  was  blown  in 
turn  by  the  freshmen.  Ledyard  was  indignant  at 
being  summoned  to  this  duty,  and  it  was  his  custom 
to  perform  it  with  a  reluctance  and  in  a  manner 
corresponding  to  his  sense  of  the  degradation. 

The  scenic  materials,  brought  with  so  much  pains 
from  Hartford,  were  not  suffered  to  he  useless.  The 
calico  was  manufactured  into  curtains,  a  stage  was 
fitted  up,  and  plays  were  acted,  in  which  our  hero 
personated  the  chief  characters.  Cato  was  among 
the  tragedies  brought  out  upon  his  boards,  and  in 
this  he  acted  the  part  of  old  Syphax,  wearing  a  long 
grey  beard,  and  a  dress  suited  to  his  notion  of  the 
costume  of  a  Numidian  prince.  His  tragedies  were 
doubtless  comedies  to  the  audience,  but  they  all 
answered  his  purpose  of  amusement,  and  of  intro- 
ducing a  little  variety  into  the  sober  tenor  of  a  stu- 
dent's life.  At  this  period  he  was  much  addicted 
to  reading  plays,  and  his  passion  for  the  drama 
probably  stole  away  many  hours,  that  might  have 


a  'H  ■ 


w 


'W' 


14 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


been  more  profitably  employed  in  preparing  to  ex- 
hibit himself  before  his  tutors. 
4  '    He  had  not  been  quite  four  months  in  college^ 

when  he  suddenly  disappeared  without  previous  no- 
tice to  his  comrades,  and  apparently  without  permis- 
sion from  the  president.  The  full  extent  of  his 
travels  during  his  absence  cannot  now  be  known, 
but  he  is  understood  to  have  wandered  to  the  borders 
of  Canada,  and  among  the  Six  Nations.  It  is  cer- 
tain, that  he  acquired  in  this  excursion  a  knowledge 
of  Indian  manners  and  Indian  language,  which  was 
afterwards  of  essential  service  to  him  in  his  inter- 
course with  savages  in  various  parts  of  the  world. 
His  main  object  probably  was  to  take  a  cursory  sur- 
vey of  the  missionary  ground,  which  he  was  con- 
templating as  the  theatre  of  his  future  career ;  and, 
judging  from  what  followed,  we  may  suppose  that 
this  foretaste  put  an  end  to  all  his  anticipations. 
Nothing  pnore  is  heard  of  his  missionary  projects, 
although  it  is  not  clear  at  what  time  he  absolutely 
abandoned  them.  When  three  months  and  a  half 
1  had  expired,  he  returned  to  college  and  resumed  his 
studies. 

If  his  dramatic  performances  were  not  revived,  a» 
it  would  seem  they  were  not,  his  erratic  spirit  did 
not  sink  into  a  lethargy  for  want  of  expedients  to 
keep  it  alive.  In  midwinter,  when  the  ground  was 
covered  with  deep  snow,  Ledyard  collected  a  party 
whom  he  persuaded  to  accompany  him  to  the  sum- 
mit of  a  neighbouring  mountain,  and  there  pass  the  , 
night.  Dr  Wheelock  consented  to  the  project,  as 
his  heart  was  bent  on  training  up  the  young  men  to 
be  missionaries  among  the  Indians,  and  he  was 
willing  they  should  become  inured  to  hardships,  to 
which  a  life  among  savages  would  frequently  expose 


\l. 


i      • 

A 


.  S  f^.i'     I 


XIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


15 


them.  The  prejector  of  the  expedition  took  the 
lead  of  his  volunteers,  and  conducted  them  hy  a 
pathless  route  though  the  thickets  of  a  swamp  and 
forests,  till  they  reached  the  top  of  the  mountain, 
just  in  time  to  kindle  a  fire,  and  arrange  their  en- 
campment on  the  snow,  before  it  was  dark.  The 
night,  as  may  be  supposed,  was  dreary  and  sleepless 
to  most  of  the  party,  and  few  were  they  who  did 
not  greet  tlie  dawn  with  gladness.  Their  leader 
was  alert,  prompt  at  his  duty,  and  pleased  with  his 
success.  The  next  day  they  returned  home,  all 
perfectly  satisfied,  except  perhaps  Ledyard,  with  this 
single  experiment  of  their  hardihood,  without  being 
disposed  to  make  another  similar  trial.  He  had  a 
propensity  for  climbing  mountains,  as  will  be  seen 
hereafter,  when  we  meet  him  at  the  Sandwich 
Islands. 

After  abandoning  his  missionary  schemes  he  be- 
gan to  grow  weary  of  college,  and  the  more  so, 
probably,  as  his  unsettled  habits  now  and  then  drew 
from  the  president  a  salutary  admonition  on  the  im- 
portance of  a  right  use  of  time,  and  a  regard  for  the 
regulations  of  the  establishment.  Such  hints  he 
conceived  to  be  an  indignity,  and  fancied  himself  ill 
treated.  That  there  was  value  in  rules  of  order  and 
discipline  he  did  not  pretend  to  deny,  but  seemed 
at  a  loss  to  imagine  why  they  should  be  applied  to  him. 
That  the  whole  subject  might  be  put  at  rest,  without 
involving  any  puzzling  questions  of  casuistry,  he  re- 
solved to  escape. 

On  the  margin  of  the  Connecticut  river,  which 
runs  near  the  college,  stood  many  majestic  forest 
trees,  nourished  by  a  rich  soil.  One  of  these  Led- 
yard contrived  to  cut  down.  He  then  set  himself 
at  work  to  fashion  its  trunk  into  a  canoe,  and  in  this 


u'i 


■m 


il>' 


L»    ....  V« 


.  t  **^   *    «.. . 


(1 


jM  LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 

labor  he  was  assisted  by  some  of  his  fellow  students. 
As  the  canoe  was  fifty  feet  long  and  three  feet  wide, 
and  was  to  be  dug  out  and  constructt  d  by  these  un- 
skilful workmen,  the  task  was  not  a  trifling  one,  nor 
such  as  could  be  speedily  executfed.  Operations 
were  carried  on  with  spirit,  however,  till  Ledyard 
wounded  himself  with  an  axe,  and  was  disabled  for 
several  days.  When  recovered,  he  applied  himself 
anew  to  his  work  ;  the  canoe  was  finished,  launched 
into  the  stream,  and,  by  the  further  aid  of  his  com- 
panions, equipped  and  prepared  for  a  voyage.  His 
wishes  were  now  at  their  consummation,  and,  bid- 
ding adieu  to  these  haunts  of  the  Muses,  where  he 
had  gained  a  dubious  fame,  he  set  off  alone  with  a 
light  heart  to  explore  a  river,  with  the  navigation  of 
which  he  had  not  the  slightest  acquaintance.  The 
distance  to  Hartford  was  not  less  than  one  hundred 
and  forty  miles,  much  of  the  way  was  through  a 
wilderness,  and  in  several  places  there  were  danger- 
ous falls  and  rapids. 

With  a  bearskin  for  a  covering,  and  his  canoiB 
well  stocked  with  provisions,  he  yielded  himself  to 
the  current,  and  floated  leisurely  down  the  stream, 
seldom  using  his  paddle,  and  stopping  only  in  the 
night  for  sleep.  He  told  Mr  Jefferson  in  Paris, 
fourteen  years  afterwards,  that  he  took  only  two 
boojcs  with  him,  a  Greek  Testament  and  Ovid,  one 
of  which  he  was  deeply  engaged  in  reading  when 
his  canoe  approached  Bellows  Falls,  where  he 
was  suddenly  roused  by  the  noise  of  the  waters 
rushing  among  the  rocks  through  the  narrow  passage. 
The  danger  was  imminent,  as  no  boat  could  go  down 
that  fall  without  being  instantly  dashed  in  pieces. 
With  difficulty  he  gained  the  shore  in  time  to  es- 
cape such  a  catastrophe,  and  through  the  kind  a^- 


-  *^"*  ^-r*^' 


ii-^*.-*,  ^,.^».  , ,», 


■'N..,.. 


y..^t'^r\:^*^\^, 


I4IFM  OF  JOHN  LEOXARD. 


17 


nor 


a 


sistance  of  the  people  in  the  neighbourhood,  who 
were  astonished  at  the  novelty  of  such  a  voyage 
down  the  Connecticut,  his  canoe  was  drawn  by  ox- 
en around  the  fall,  and  committed  again  to  the  water 
below.     From  that  time,  till  he  arrived  at  his  place 
of  destination,  we  hear  of  no  accident,  although  he 
was  carried  through  several  dangerous  passes  in  the 
river.     On  a  bright  spring  morning,  just  as  the  sun 
was   rising,  some  of  Mr   Seymour's   family  were 
standing  near  his  house  on  the  high  bank  of  the 
small  river,  that  runs  through  the  city  of  Hartford, 
and  empties  itself  into  the  Connecticut  river,  when 
they  espied  at  some  distance  an  object  of  unusual 
appearance  moving  slowly  up  the  stream.     Others 
were  attracted  by  the  singularity  of  the  sight,  and 
all  were  conjecturing  what  it  could  be,  till  its  ques- 
tionable shape  assumed  the  true  and  obvious  form 
'  of  a  canoe  ;  but  by  what  impulse  it  was  moved  for- 
ward none  could  determine.     Something  was  seen 
in  the  stern,  but  apparently  without  life  or  motion. 
At  length  the  canoe  touched  the  shore  directly  in 
front  of  the  house  ;  a  person  sprang  from  the  stem 
to  a  rock  in  the  edge  of  the  water,  threw  off  a  bear- 
skin in  which  he  had  been  enveloped,  and  behold 
John  Ledyard,  in  the  presence  of  his  uncle  and 
connexions,  who  were  filled  with  wonder  at  this  sud- 
den apparition,  for  they  had  received  no  intelligence 
of  his  intention  to  leave  Dartmouth,  but  supposed 
him  still  there  diligently  pursuing  his  studies,  and 
fitting  himself  to  be  a  missionary  among  the  Indians. 
However  unimportant  this  whimsical  adventure 
may  have  been  in  its  results,  or  even  its  objects,  it  was 
one  of  no  ordinary  peril,  and  illustrated  in  a  forcible 
manner  the  character  of  the  navigator.     The  voyage 
was  performed  in  the  last  part  of  April  or  first  of 
3* 


-.ifjWtif. 


«fcfifc 


:^-t. 


^f     't  .'..v.L^  -iiK\ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTARD. 


#' 


Ik 


May,  and  of  course  the  river  was  raised  by  the  re" 
cent  melting  of  the  snow  on  the  mountains.  This 
circumstance  probably  rendered  the  rapids  less  dan- 
gerous ;  but  it  may  be  questioned  whether  there  are 
many  persons  at  Uie  present  day,  who  would  wil- 
lingly run  the  same  hazard,  even  if  guided  by  a  pilot 
skilled  in  the  navigation  of  the  river. 

We  cannot  look  back  to  Ledyard,  thus  launching 
himself  alone  in  so  frail  a  bark  upon  the  waters  of  a 
river  wholly  unknown  to  him,  without  being  remind- 
ed  of  the  only  similar  occurrence,  which  has  been 
recorded,  the  voyage  down  the  river  Niger  by  Mun- 
go  Park,  a  name  standing  at  the  very  head  of  those 
most  renowned  for  romantic  and  lofty  enterprise. 
The  melancholy  fate,  it  is  true,  by  which  he  was 
soon  arrested  in  his  noble  career,  adds  greatly  to  the 
interest  of  his  situation  when  pushing  from  the  shores 
his  little  boat  Joliba,  and  causes  us  to  read  his  last 
affecting  letter  to  his  wife  with  emotions  of  sympathy 
more  intense,  if  possible,  than  would  be  felt  if  the 
tragical  issue  w^^ere  not  already  known.  In  many 
points  of  character  there  was  a  strong  resemblance 
between  these  two  distinguished  travellers,  and  they 
both  perished  martyrs  in  the  same  cause,  attempting 
to  explore  the  hidden  regions  of  Africa.  ' » 


.  J      ..»r  ■    ■    ■ 

-  - " '             ■' '    V      ■■,.■■■■■■     •■     i', 

•  (-■■  '-'.-■'*  fl-'        ■   '  ,  ."i^ «           .  •  •  ■     '■    u   ■ 
^:t--'W;rVi.-    ,,■.-■1..          ,      ;,,;-    :>. 

'                          ,'■<■■■ 

*-^>i!  nftt  m:  ,'f 

^ 


t 


..  ■  -^  &■■ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD, 


19 


CHAPTER  II. 

Ledyard'ssineular  letter  to  President  Wheelock — Commences  the 
study  of  theology. — His  embarrassments  on  this  occasion.^- 
Visits  several  clergymen  on  Long  Island,  and  pursues  his  studies 
tiiere  for  a  short  tune. — Proposes  teaching  a  school. — Returns 
to  Connecticut,  and  meets  with  disappointment  in  his  hopes  of 
being  settled  as  a  clergyman. — Abandons  his  purpose  of  study- . 
ing  divinity. — Sails  from  New  London  on  a  voyage  to  Gibraltar. 
—Enlists  there  as  a  soldier  in  the  regular  service. — Released' 
at  the  solicitation  of  the  captain  of  the  vessel  in  which  he  sail- 
ed.— Returns  home  by  way  of  the  Barbary  Coast  and  the  West 
Indies. — Resolves  to  visit  England,  and  seek  for  his  wealthy 
family  connexions  in  that  country. — Sails  from  New  York  to 
Plymouth. — Travels  thence  to  London  in  extreme  poverty. — 
Realizes  none  of  his  expectations. — Enlists  in  the  naval  service. 
— Gains  an  acquaintance  with  Captain  Cook,  and  embarks  with 
him  on  his  last  voyage  round  the  world,  in  the  capacity  of  cor- 
poral of  marines.  ,j?  , ' 

As  Ledyard  left  Hanover  when  Dr  Wheelock  was 
absent,  this  was  probably  seized  upon  by  him  as  a 
fit  opportunity  for  taking  his  departure.  A  few  days 
after  his  arrival  in  Hartford,  his  uncle  thought  prop- 
er to  show  him  some  of  Dr  Wheelock's  letters,  in 
which  were  very  just  complaints  of  his  conduct,  his 
disregard  of  discipline,  and  particularly  his  thought- 
less waste  of  the  small  means  he  possessed,  which 
his  friends  flattered  themselves  might,  with  good 
econoniy,  be  made  to  pa^  the  expenses  of  his  edu- 
cation. These  letters  of  the  president  were  appa- 
rently written  not  so  much  by  way  of  accusation,  as  to 
vindicate  himself  from  any  charge  of  neglect  that 
might  be  made  against  him,  on  account  of  the  ill 
success  of  his  efforts  to  manage  a  young  man,  whom 
he  had  no  other  motive  for  taking  under  his  partic- 
ular care,  than  good  w^ill  for  the  grandson  of  his  de- 
ceased friend,  and  regard  for  his  family.  Ledyard 
was  much  incensed  at  these  letters,  and  replied  to 


"*-     ,r^  •" 


.A 


v\ 


20 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARO. 


them  under  the  impulse  of  feelings  not  the  most  . 
kindly  or  respectful.  From  his  nature  he  was  ex- 
tremely impatient  of  reproach,  and  ever  deemed 
it  an  unpardonable  offence  in  any  one  to  question 
his  motives,  or  insinuate  that  he  could  act  deliber- 
ately and  intentionally  wrong.  His  foibles  he  could 
bear  to  have  touched  with  a  gentle  hand,  but  no  one 
ventured  a  suspicion  of  his  integrity,  or  of  the  kind- 
ness of  his  heart,  with  impunity.  He  often  lamented 
the  failure  of  purposses  caused  by  his  fondness  for 
change  and  love  of  adventure ;  but  at  no  time  did 
he  allow  himself  to  think,  that  he  was  not  pursuing 
great  and  worthy  objects,  and  such  as  would  re- 
dound to  his  honor,  and  the  good  of  mankind. 
With  this  disposition,  and  this  confidence  in  himself, 
it  was  natural  that  he  should  sometimes  regard  the 
opinions  which  others  entertained  of  his  conduct,  with 
stronger  feelings  of  disapprobation,  than  the  merits  of 
the  c;ise  required.  In  reading  the  following  extracts 
from  a  letter  to  Dr  Wheelock,  these  particulars  should 
be  kept  in  mind  ;  and  it  should  moreover  be  remem-*!* 
bered,  that,  whether  right  or  wrong,  he  really  fan- 
cied himself  not  well  treated  at  Dartmouth. 

"  When  I  sit  down  to  write,"  says  he,  "  I  know 
not  where  to  begin,  or  where  to  end,  or  what  to  say, ' 
especially  since  I  have  the  contents  of  two  of  your 
letters  concerning  my  affairs.  What  do  I  see  ? 
Who  is  this  that  assumes  the  port  of  compassion, 
kindness,  benevolence,  charity,  and  writes  as  he 
writes  ?  You  begin,  sir,  with  a  surprise,  that  my  , 
legacy  was  so  much  exhausted.  Justly  might  you, 
sir,  but  not  more  so  than  my  unfortunate  self ;  and  if 
truth  has  not  turned  har,  if  any  protestations,  any 
declarations  of  honesty,  uprightness,  or  any  thing  else 
can  avail,  I  now,  under  the  most  sacred  obligations, 


* 


*;;- 


-V    .'•WW.  ..V..4. 


..4..;J^-'-ft,. 


ijiS:'""' 


u*. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


31 


/ 


hondjide  declare  I  was  not  aware  of  it;  and  when 
I  saw  the  letters  and  account,  I  was  so  much  haraed 
of  my  inadvertency,  and  so  justly  culpabk  oefore 
you,  that  I  could  not  compose  myself  to  come  before 
you,  and  answer  for  my  misconduct.  But  from 
that  moment,  with  much  anxiety  and  care,  I  studied 
to  remedy  the  matter.  This  I  declare  was  the  hon- 
est purpose  of  my  heart ;  and  to  make  you  repara- 
tion still  is  ;  and,  under  Heaven,  you  shall  say  you 
are  satisfied.  Then,  sir,  you  say,  a  little  after,  that 
you  could  have  no  confidence  in  me,  after  the  char- 
acter given  of  me  by  Mr  Seymour.  I  am  sorry,  sir, 
you  could  not. 

"  I  take  what  you  have  said,  in  regard  to  my 
pride,  very  ill-natured,  very  unkind  in  you.  So  far 
as  I  know  myself,  I  came  to  your  college  under  in- 
fluences of  the  good  kind,  whether  you,  sir,  believe 
it  or  not.  The  acquaintance  I  have  gained  there  is 
dearer  than  I  can  possibly  express.  FareweD,  dear 
Dartmouth.  Doctor,  my  heart  is  as  pure  aa  the 
new  fallen  snow.  Farewell,  and  may  the  God  of 
Abraham,  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  bless  you  and  yours. 
I  am,  honored  and  reverend  sir,  though  sorely  beset, 
your  obliged  and  dutiful  young  servant." 

Here  end  all  the  particulars,  which  have  come  to 
my  knowledge,  respecting  Ledyard's  college  life. 
He  next  appears  before  us  in  the  character  of  a  stu- 
dent in  divinity.  Within  a  month  after  mooring  his 
canoe  at  the  river's  bank  in  Hartford,  he  is  found  at 
Preston,  in  Connecticut,  advising  with  the  reverend 
Mr  Hart,  a  clergyman  of  that  town,  on  the  subject 
of  his  theological  studies  and  prospects,  and  also 
with  the  reverend  Dr  Bellamy,  at  that  time  a  preach- 
er of  wide  fame  in  Connecticut.  Both  of  these 
clergymen  gave  him  such  encouragement,  that  he 


32 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


w 


resolved  to  apply  himself  immediately  to  a  prepara- 
tion for  dischargiilg  the  sacred  functions  of  a  divine, 
and  turn  the  ruffled  tenor  of  his  life  into  the  quiet 
md  grateful  occupation  of  a  parish  minister.  He 
speaks  of  his  anticipations  on  this  occasion  with  a 
heartiness  and  enthusiasm,  which  show,  at  least,  that 
he  imagined  himself  sincere,  and  that  in  the  future 
he  fancied  he  had  only  to  look  for  the  unalloyed ' ' 
blessings  of  tranquillity,  competence,  and  peace. 
Such  was  his  haste  to  realize  these  precious  hopes, 
that  he  bad  not  patience  to  wait  the  usual  term  re- 
quired of  young  candidates,  who  had  not  been 
graduated  at  a  college.  To  facilitate  the  attainment 
of  this  end,  his  advisers  recommended  that  he 
should  go  to  Long  Island,  and  there  pass  through 
his  initiatory  studies,  where,  it  was  said,  smaller  at- 
tainments were  required  for  admission  to  ihe  desk  ; 
and  when  once  admitted,  he  might  return  and  pro- 
cure a  settlement  wherever  there  should  be  an 
opening.  With  this  scheme  he  was  well  satisfied, 
and  being  furnished  by  the  above  gentlemen  with 
suitable  letters  of  recommendation,  he  mounted  his  . 
horse  and  set  off  for  Long  Island,  with  the  same 
buoyancy  of  spirits,  as  when,  iwo  months  before,  he 
entered  his  canoe  at  Dartmouth,  and  with  a  purpose 
much  more  definite,  and  higher  expectationsr 

In  describing  this  tour  I  shall  let  him  speak  in  his 
own  lai^uage,  as  contained  in  a  letter  written  to  a . 
friend  at  the  time. 

i  "  Equipped  with  my  credentials,  I  embarked  for  ' 
Long  Island.  The  next  day  I  fortunately  arrived  at 
Southold,  surprised  my  mother  with  a  visit,  and  after 
remaining  widi  her  twenty-four  hours,  I  rode  to  the 
eastward.  With  another  recommendatory  letter  from 
the  revereiad  Mr  Storrs,  I  crossed  Shelter  Island  «, 


^ 


./    ■.  ' 


/  'i-.'\ 


,^^fvt:^5::v%,y;  KN.„.:<;'r 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


ss 


"v  ' 


ferry,  and  thence  to  East  Hampton,  where  I  met 
with  a  kind  reception  from  the  reverend  Mr  Buell, 
moderator  of  the  Synod,  an  influential  man,  and  a 
glorious  preacher.  Here  I  was  introduced  to  a  very 
large  library,  and,  in  company  with  another  young 
candidate,  I  spent  about  a  month  witti  intense  appli- 
cation to  study.  But  this  was  only  an  interregnum. 
Mr  Buell  let  me  know,  that  the  presbytery  here 
proceed  in  these  matters  with  a  perfect  extreme  of 
deliberation ;  and  since  my  circumstances  were  as 
they  were,  he  advised  me  to  comply  with  the  dispen- 
sations of  Providence,  and  seek  a  school,  and  study 
under  some  divine.  I  knew  his  advice  to  be  as  that 
from  a  father  to  a  son,  and,  without  a  moment's 
hesitation,  wiping  the  sweat  of  care  from  my  brow, 
I  bestrided  my  Rosinante  with  a  mountain  of  grief 
upon  my  shoulders,  but  a  good  letter  in  my  pocket. 
I  jogged  on  groaning,  but  never  desponding,  passed 
to  Bridgetown,  thence  to  Southampton,  and  through 
many  little  villages  to  Sataucket  Quorum,  th^  to 
Smithtown,  Fireplace,  Oyster  Bay,  and  so  on,  visit- 
ing and  making  acquaintance  with  the  clergy  wher- 
ever I  went. 

"  At  length,  after  a  ride  of  almost  one  hundred 
miles,  by  crossing  the  island  I  arrived  at  Huntington, 
a  large  town  about  forty  miles  from  New  York, 
where  I  visited  the  minister  of  the  place,  old  Mr 
Prime.  After  about  twelve  days*  feasting  upon  his 
great  library,  and  a  quickly  made  friendship  with 
the  ingenious  Dr  Prime  formerly  of  New  York,  and 
a  fruitless  attempt  to  get  a  school,  I  was  returning, 
but  stopped  to  become  acquainted  with  the  excellent 
Irishman,  the  Reverend  Mr  Caldwell  of  Elizabeth 
Town,  and  the  popular  Dr  Rogers  of  New  York ; 
and,  after  some  cordials  of  consolation  and  encour- 


< 


m 


./ 


t 


w 


34 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


V-  n^ 


ageraent,  they  bade  me  go  on,  and  God  speed  me. 
They  told  me  that  the  sufferings  I  met  with,  and 
the  contemptuous  ideas  the  people  where  I  was  bom 
and  educated  had  of  me,  were  nothing  strange,  but 
reflected  honor  on  me, — that  a  prophet  is  hardly 
accepted  in  his  own  country,  and  the  like. 

"  I  returned,  after  a  very  fatiguing  journey,  to  Mr 
Buell's,  and  staid  a  short  time  with  that  hermit, 
where  and  with  whom  I  longed  to  be  buried  in  ease ; 
but  I  scorned  to  be  a  coward,  and  chose  to  die  in 
front  of  battle  if  anywhere.  We  advised  together 
anew,  and  it  was  resolved,  that  since  I  was  so  disap- 
pointed, I  should  proceed  with  renewed  vigor.  Ac- 
cordingly, with  warm  letters  I  came  again  to  the 
continent,  where  I  arrived  in  the  evening,  but 
thought  it  most  prudent  not  to  stop  there,  no,  not 
where  I  was  born.  I  dropped  a  tear  upon  the  oc- 
casion, and  rode  on  toward  Preston  till  eleven  at 
night,  when,  feeling  quite  exhausted,  for  I  had  been 
sevCTely  sea-sick,  I  dismounted,  left  my  horse  to 
graze,  looked  up  to  heaven,  and  under  its  canopy 
fell  asleep.  The  next  morning  I  rode  to  my  cousin 
Isaac's  house,  and  being  refreshed,  I  advanced  once 
more  to  Mr  Hart's,  where  I  was  again  handsomely 
and  kindly  received." 

Thus  disappointed  in  his  expectations  on  Long 
Island,  his  ardor  was  somewhat  damped,  but  his 
resolution  remained  unshaken.  He  made  up  his 
mind  to  apply  again  to  his  old  friends,  and  seek 
their  sympathy  and  counsel.  As  they  had  express- 
ed themselves  warmly  in  his  favor,  and  recommend- 
ed him  in  flattering  terms  to  the  Long  Island  clergy, 
he  was  sanguine  in  the  faith,  that  they  would  not, 
when  things  came  to  an  extremity,  hesitate  to  do, 
on  their  own  part,  what  they  had  encouraged  so 


-<: . 


-'J:: 


UFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


36 


earnestly  in  their  brethren.  With  some  confidence, 
therefore,  he  repeated  his  solicitations  to  Mr  Hart. 
The  result  shall  likewise  be  given  in  his  own  words. 

"  We  have  advised  together,  and  read  the  afore- 
said letters.  The  amount  of  all  is  this,  '  Don't  be 
discouraged,  Mr  Ledyard ;  you  will  think  the  better 
of  fair  weather  after  this  storm.  My  private  senti- 
ments and  my  public  conduct,  in  your  case,  are  two 
things.  I  don't  doubt  one  single  instant  of  your  pro- 
bity and  well-meaning.  What  the  world  does,  I 
cannot  say  ;  but  as  I  officiate  in  a  pubUc  character, 
I  must  deal  with  you  as  so  officiating  ;  and  for  that 
reason,  as  well  as  securing  your  future  tranquillity 
in  the  ministry,  by  making  a  good  beginning,  I  by 
all  means  advise,  first,  that  you  write  speedily  to  the 
reverend  Mr  Whitman,  and  get  him  to  write  to  us 
respecting  you  what  he  can,  as  you  have  lived  long 
under  him ;  secondly,  that  you  write  also  to  Dart- 
mouth, to  procure  a  regular  dismission  from  the 
president.  When  we  have  tliese,  we  shall  proceed 
with  confidence  in  the  face  of  all  men,  and  not  be 
ashamed  to  introduce  you  anywhere.'  Now,  Sir, 
though  but  very  brief,  I  have  given  you  an  exact 
account  of  my  situation,  and  the  i'atigues  of  my 
pursuits.  You  see  what  bars  my  sitting  directly 
down. 

"  As  Dartmouth  is  at  such  a  distance,  the  clergy 
here  do  not  insist  on  a  return  from  that  place  so  soon 
as  from  Hartford,  but  the  sooner  I  have  an  answer 
from  Mr  Whitman,  the  sooner  will  my  mind  be  at 
rest.  There  are  four  ministers  that  stand  ready  to 
advance  me  the  moment  this  is  done,  among  whom 
the  famous  Dr  Bellamy  is  one.  The  clergy  are 
very  exact  in  these  things,  and  I  have  sometimes 
thought  that  they  meant  to  keep  me  humming 
3 


■.•*v  \ 


*^ 


''"*»<^-*V.^s.VX.' 


Ht.'ii  V Jit.  »*^<1V  »ift  M''* 


w 


% 


/  f 


26 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


around  them  till  I  was  tired,  and  so  get  clear  of  an 
absolute  refusal,  or,  as  Dr  Young  expresses  it,  to 

'  Fright  me,  with  terrors  of  a  world  unknown, 
From  joys  of  this,  to  licep  them  all  their  own.' 

They  have  found  me  affliction-proof,  if  this  was  their 
motive  ;  but  I  plainly  see  they  mean  it  for  my  honor 
— and  their  own  too.  The  request,  in  short,  which 
1  make  of  you  is,  that  you  will  please  to  wait  on 
Mr  Whitman  with  my  letter,  hurry  him  for  an 
answer,  and  send  it  to  me  by  the  earliest  opportu- 
nity." 

That  such  an  answer  never  came  may  be  inferred 
from  the  fact,  that  he  was  never  licensed  as  a 
preacher  ;  and  the  judgment  of  his  friends,  the  cler- 
gymen, is  not  to  be  so  much  censured  in  this,  per- 
haps, as  in  the  unjustifiable  encouragement  they  held 
out  to  him.  They  could  not  suppose  him  qualified 
for  the  clerical  office,  with  the  limited  knowledge 
and  experience  he  possessed  ;  and  it  was  wrong  to 
delude  him  with  the  notion,  that  they  would  under 
any  circumstances  publicly  approve  him  as  such, 
merely  upon  receiving  two  letters,  which  at  most 
could  testify  only  to  his  general  character.  His  at- 
tainments were  afterwards  to  be  made.  He  was 
doubtless  importunate,  and  Mr  Hart  and  Dr  Bellamy 
were  goodnatured ;  but  their  kindness  would  have 
been  better  applied,  especially  to  a  mind  like  that 
of  Ledyard's,  if  they  had  been  more  frank  and  de- 
cided in  the  outset.  His  sensibility  was  keenly 
touched  by  the  disappointment,  which,  as  much  as 
anything  perhaps,  drove  him,  somewhat  disgusted, 
from  prosecuting  his  theological  studies.  That  he 
engaged  in  them  with  considerable  ardor,  no  one 
can  doubt  after  reading  his  remarks  above  ;  that  he 
would  have  continued  long  of  the  same  mind  is  not 


-i' 


f?.>>v' 


'%{: 


■?*•.»: . 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


27 


very  likely ;  but  it  was  a  mistaken  exercise  of  be- 
nevolence to  foster  hopes,  which  there  was  no  chance 
of  seeing  ripened  into  realities,  and  thus  enticing 
him  into  a  profession,  for  which  he  was  hardly  in 
any  one  respect  fitted.  As  a  further  proof,  that  he 
was  in  earnest  at  the  beginning,  it  may  be  mention- 
ed, that  he  not  only  applied  himself  assiduously  to 
study,  but  was  accustomed  to  declaim  in  the  woods 
and  retired  places,  that  he  might  discipline  his  voice, 
and  prepare  himself  for  public  speaking. 

But  his  studies  in  theology  were  of  short  dura- 
lion.  He  was  mortified  at  the  ill  success  of  his 
application  to  the  clergy  f6r  being  approved  as  a 
candidate,  and  other  circumstances  concurred  to 
annoy  and  wound  him.  The  effect  of  these  on  his 
feelings  will  appear  in  the  following  postscript  to  a 
letter,  written  three  months  after  the  one  last  quoted. 
"  I  send  you  this  from  Groton,  even  the  little  Groton, 
where  it  seems  I  must  at  last  hide  my  head,  and  re- 
linquish all  the  glorious  purposes  I  had  in  view. 
'T  is  hard.  Do  you  not  wonder  that  I  still  live,  when 
there  is  such  inquiry  about  the  strange  man  in  Hart- 
ford, when  I  am  the  mark  of  impertinent  curiosity, 
when  everything  around  me  opposes  my  designs  ? 
Do  you  not  wonder,  that  I  have  my  senses  in  so 
great  a  degree  as  to  let  you  know,  that  I  am  as  un- 
moved as  my  observers  and  opposers?"  These 
hints  are  enough  to  show  that  obstacles  of  a  serious 
kind,  whether  imaginary  or  real,  met  him  in  various 
quarters,  and  that  a  weight  of  corroding  cares  hung 
upon  his  soul. 

But  we  are  not  left  long  to  sympathize  with  him 
in  his  griefs.  All  thoughts  of  divinity  being  now 
abandoned,  he  is  introduced  to  us  a  few  weeks  after- 
wards in  a  totally  new  character,  that  of  a  sailor  on 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


board  a  vessel  bound  to  Gibraltar.  Captain  Deshon, 
who  resided  in  New  London,  and  sailed  from  that 
port,  had  been  his  father's  friend,  and  the  hero  of 
our  narrative  now  shipped  with  him  for  a  voyage  to 
the  Mediterranean.  He  entered  as  a  common 
sailor,  but  was  treated  by  the  captain  rather  as  a 
friend  and  associate,  than  as  one  of  the  ordinary 
crew,  and  his  good  humor,  suavity  of  manners,  and 
comparative  intelligen-e,  made  his  company  highly 
acceptable  to  all  on  board.  The  voyage  was  first  to 
Gibraltar,  next  Vi  a  port  on  the  Barbary  coast  for 
taking  in  a  cargo  of  mules,  and  thence  homeward 
by  way  of  the  West  Indie's.  -   .45* 

One  incident  only  has  been  transmitted,  as  worthy 
of  notice  during  this  voyage.  While  the  ship  was 
lying  at  Gibraltar,  Ledyard  was  all  at  once  missing, 
and  it  was  some  time  before  anything  could  be  heard 
of  him.  There  came  a  rumor  at  length,  that  he 
was  among  the  soldiery  in  the  barracks.  A  person 
was  sent  to  make  inquiry,  who  descried  him  in  the 
ranks,  dressed  in  the  British  uniform,  armed  and 
equipped  from  head  to  foot,  and  carrying  himself 
with  a  martial  air  and  attitude,  which  proved  that  to 
I  whatever  vocation  he  might  be  called,  he  was  not  to 
be  outdone  by  his  comrades.  Captain  Deshon  went 
to  his  quarters  and  remonstrated  with  him  for  this 
strange  freak,  and  urged  him  to  return.  He  said  he 
enlisted  because  he  was  partial  to  the  service,  and 
thought  the  profession  of  a  soldier  well  suited  to  a 
man  of  honor  and  enterprise  ;  but  that  he  would  not 
be  obstinate,  and  was  willing  to  go  back,  if  the  cap- 
tain insisted  on  it,  and  would  procure  his  release. 
When  the  circumstances  were  made  known  to  the 
British  commanding  officer,  he  consented  to  release 
his  new  recruit,  who  returned  on  board  the  ship  and 
prosecuted  his  voyage. 


%,^.^  «^ 


'¥ 


AFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


29 


While  at  Gibraltar,  he  wrote  home  a  very  full  and 
amusing  account  of  what  he  saw  in  that  place,  but 
the  letter  has  been  lost. 

Within  a  year  from  the  time  of  sailing  from  New 
London,  the  vessel  anchored  again  in  the  same  har- 
bor, and  the  only  profit  yielded  by  the  voyage  to  our 
young  adventurer  was  a  litt'.e  experience  of  the  hard- 
ships of  a  sailor's  life,  anti  knowledge  of  the  myste- 
ries of  his  profession.     However  valuable  might  be 
this  species  of  gain  as  stock  on  hand  for  future  use, 
it  had  no  power  to  satisfy  immediate  want;  poverty 
stared  him  in  the  face ;  and  at  the  age  of  twenty-two 
he  found  himself  a  solitary  wanderer,  dependent  on 
the  bounty  of  his  friends,  without  employment  or 
prospects,  having  tried  various  j^jursuits  and  failed  of 
success  in  all.     Neither  his  pride,  nor  his  sense  of 
duty,  would  suffer  him  to  remain  in  this  condition  one 
moment  longer,  than  till  he  could  devise  a  method  of 
escape  from  it ;  yet  the  peculiar  frame  of  his  mind 
and  temper  was  such,  that  nothing  would  have  been 
more  idle,  either  in  himself  or  any  other  person,  than 
to  think  of  chaining  him  down  to  any  of  the  dull 
courses  of  life,  to  which  the  great  mass  of  mankind 
is  contented  to  resort,  as  the  means  of  acquiring  a 
fortune,  gaining  a  competence,  or  driving  want  from 
the  door.     That  he  must  provide  for  himself  by  his 
own  efforts,  was  a  proposition  too  forcibly  impressed 
upon  him  to  be  denied ;  but  there  seemed  not  a 
single  propensity  of  his  nature,  which  inclined  him 
to  direct  these  efforts  in  the  same  manner  as  other 
people,  or  to  attain  common  ends  by  common  means. 
Poverty  and  privation  were  trifles  of  no  weight  with 
him,  compared  with  the  irksome  necessity  of  walk- 
ing in  the  same  path  that  all  the  world  walked  in, 
and  doing  things  as  all  the  world  had  done  them  be- 
3* 


/" 


% 


-^^mvsm.'m-: 


Ill    Ml 


ll»'U    *■'! 


W 


30 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


j# 


fore.  He  thought  this  a  very  tame  pursuit,  unwor- 
thy of  a  rational  man,  whose  soul  should  be  fired 
with  a  nobler  ambition. 

Entertaining  such  views  of  the  objects  of  human 
life,  it  is  not  susprising  that  he  shoiild  feel  himself 
hanging  loosely  upon  society,  and  should  discover 
that  while  he  continued  without  purpose  an4  without 
property,  he  would  exhibit  slender  claims  to  the  re- 
spect of  the  community,  or  the  confidence  of  his 
friends.  Their  S3rmpathy  he  might  have,  but  this 
was  a  boon  which  he  disdained  to  accept,  when  eli- 
cited by  misfortunes  springing  from  his  own  improv- 
idence, or  by  evils  which  he  had  power  to  avoid. 
That  he  had  no  intention  of  fixing  himself  down  in 
any  steady  occupation,  is  proved  by  a  remark  in  a 
letter  written  from  Gibraltar.  "I  allot  to  myself," 
said  he,  "  a  seven  years'  ramble  more,  although  the 
past  has  long  since  wasted  the  means  I  possessed." 
Often  had  he  heard  his  grandfather  descant  on  his 
ancestors,  and  his  wealthy  connexions  in  England; 
and  the  thought  had  entered  our  rambler's  head, 
that  one  day  it  might  be  no  unwise  thing  for  him  to 
visit  these  relatives,  and  claim  alliance  with  them  as 
a  hopeful  branch  of  so  worthy  a  stock.  In  this 
stage  of  his  affairs,  he  was  convinced  that  the  prop- 
er time  had  come,  and  he  sufiiered  now  and  then  a 
bright  vision  to  play  before  his  fancy,  of  the  happy 
change  that  would  ensue,  by  the  aid  and  influence 
of  his  newly  found  friends  in  England,  who  would 
receive  with  joy  so  promising  a  member  of  their 
family  from  America.  Elated  with  dreams  like 
these,  he  took  a  hasty  leave  of  the  place  of  his  nativi- 
ty, and  the  associates  of  his  youth,  and  made  the 
best  of  his  way  to  New  York,  there  to  seek  out  a 
passage  to  the  land  of  promise. 


;V. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


ai 


\k 


The  first  vessel  about  to  sail  for  England  was  bound 
to  Plymouth,  and  in  this  he  obtained  a  birth,  proba- 
bly on  condition  of  working  as  a  sailor.  His  trip  to 
the  Mediterranean  was  now  to  peld  its  fruits.  On 
his  arrival  in  Plymouth  and  leaving  the  vessel,  he 
was  reduced  to  the  extreme  of  want,  without  money 
in  his  pocket,  or  a  single  acquaintance  to  whom  he 
could  apply  for  relief.  Thus  situated  it  behoved 
him  to  make  haste  to  London,  where  he  looked  for 
an  immediate  welcome  and  a  home  among  the  rela- 
tions, whose  wealth  and  virtues  he  had  heard  so 
much  extolled  by  his  grandfather.  As  the  good 
fortune  of  the  moment  would  have  it,  he  fell  in  with 
an  Irishman,  a  genuine  specimen  of  the  honesty, 
frankness,  and  good  nature,  which  characterize  many 
of  the  sons  of  Erin;  whose  plight  so  exactly  re- 
sembled his  own,  that  they  formed  a  mutual  attach- 
ment almost  as  soon  as  they  came  in  contact  with 
each  other.  There  is  a  sympathetic  power  in  mis- 
fortune, which  is  heedless  of  the  forms  of  society, 
and  acts  not  by  any  cold  rule  of  calculation.  Both 
the  travellers  were  pedestrians  bound  to  London, 
both  were  equally  destitute,  having  nothing  where- 
with to  procure  a  subsistence.  They  agreed  to  take 
turns  in  begging  on  the  road.  In  this  manner  they 
travelled  harmoniously  together,  till  they  reached 
London,  without  having  any  reason  to  complain  that 
Providence  had  neglected  them  on  the  way,  or  that 
there  was  a  lack  of  generous  and  disinterested  feel- 
ing in  the  human  kind. 

Ledyard's  thoughts  were  now  gay,  for  although 
in  beggary,  he  fancied  that  the  next  step  would 
place  him  at  the  summit  of  his  wish«s,  and  open  to 
him  wide  the  door  of  prosperity.  Had  he  possessed 
the  very  lamp  of  Aladdin,  and  been  endued  with  the 


■''i 


''!!^^*«!|»- 


32 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


Dervise's  power,  he  could  not  have  been  more  con- 
fident or  happy.     To  find  out  his  relations  was  now 
his  only  anxiety.     By  accident  he  saw  the  family 
name  on  a  carriage,  and  he  inquired  of  the  coach- 
man where  the  owner  lived,  and  what  was  his  occu- 
pation.    The  answer  was,  that  he  was  a  rich  mer- 
chant, and  the  place  of  his  residence  was  pointed 
out.     Our  eager  traveller  hastened  to  the  house, 
inquired  for  the  occupant,  and  ascertained  that  he 
was  not  at  home.    A  son  was  there,  however,  who 
listened  to  his  story,  but  gave  him  soon  to  under- 
stand, that  he  put  no  faith  in  his  representations,  as 
he  had  never  heard  of  any  such  relations  as  he  told 
of  in  America.      He  observed,  moreover,  that  he 
resembled  one  of  the  family,  who  had  been  absent 
some  years  in  the  East  Indies,  and  whom  they  were 
extremely  anxious  to  see,  assuring  him,  that  if  he 
was  really  the  person,  he  would  be  received  with 
open  arms.     This  was  a  very  unlucky  interview,  for 
nothing  ever  raised  Ledyard's  anger  to  so  high  a 
pitch,  as  a  suspicion  expressed  or  implied  of  his  in- 
tegrity and  honest  intentions.     He  seemed  from  that 
moment  determined  to  prosecute  his  inquiry  after  his 
family  connexions  no  further,  but  to  shun  all  that 
bore  the  name.     The  son  pressed  him  to  remain 
till  his  father  should  return,  but  he  abruptly  left  the 
house,  and  never  went  back. 

Some  time  afterwards,  when  he  had  gained  ac- 
quaintances of  respectable  name  in  London,  to  whom 
he  related  his  story,  they  went  with  it  to  the  same 
gentleman,  telling  him  that  the  young  man  seemed 
honest,  and  they  doubted  not  the  truth  of  what  he 
had  stated.  The  gentleman  refused  at  first  to  credit 
him,  unless  he  would  bring  some  written  evidence. 
Upon  further  inquiry,  however,  he  was  better  satis- 
■"   "    -"^    ■  '  ^  ■-.  ■  ■■■-"^•■^     % 


^m_ 


i'    ■#■ 


.t? 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


33 


fied,  and  sent  for  Ledyard  to  come  to  his  house. 
This  invitation  was  declined  in  no  very  gracious 
manner ;  and  when  money  was  sent  to  him  after- 
wards by  the  same  person,  who  had  heard  that  he 
was  in  distress,  he  rejected  it  with  great  indignation, 
and  commanded  the  bearer  to  carry  it  back  to  his 
master,  and  tell  him  that  he  belonged  not  to  the  race 
of  the  Ledyards.  Such  was  the  end  of  his  dreams 
about  his  rich  relations,  and  it  must  be  acknowledg- 
ed, that  his  own  haughty  spirit  seems  to  have  been 
the  chief  enemy  to  his  success.  He  would  probably 
have  called  it  magnanimous  self-respect ;  and,  name 
it  as  we  will,  since  it  operated  wholly  against  himself, 
he  must  certainly  be  freed  from  any  charge  of  mean 
motives,  or  selfish  ends. 

It  was  just  at  this  time,  that  Captain  Cook  was 
making  preparations  for  his  third  and  last  voyage 
round  the  world.  So  successful  had  he  been  in  Ms 
former  expeditions,  and  so  loud  was  the  sound  of 
his  fame,  that  the  whole  country  vras  awake  to  his 
new  undertaking,  and  the  general  sensation  was  such, 
as  to  inspire  adventurous  minds  with  a  wish  to  parti- 
cipate in  its  glory.  Nothing  could  more  exactly 
accord  with  the  native  genius  and  cherished  feelings 
of  Ledyard.  As  a  first  step  towards  becoming  con- 
nected with  this  expedition,  he  enlisted  in  the  marine 
service,  and  then  by  his  address  he  gained  an  intro- 
duction to  Captain  Cook.  It  .may  be  presumed, 
that  on  an  occasion  of  so  much  moment  to  him,  he 
would  set  himself  forward  to  the  best  advantage ; 
and  he  had  great  power  in  recommending  himself  to 
the  favor  of  others,  whenever  he  chose  to  put  it  in 
action.  His  manly  form,  mild  but  animated  and 
expressive  eye,  perfect  self-possossion,  a  boldness 
not  obtrusive,  but  showing  a  consciousness  of  his 


';'* 


^M 


^ 


n*. 


4 


I:-. I 


( 


1   w 


(1 


34 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


proper  dignity,  an  independent  spirit,  and  a  glow 
of  enthusiasm  giving  life  to  his  conversation  and  his 
whole  deportment, — these  were  traits  which  could 
not  escape  so  discriminating  an  eye  as  that  of 
Cook ;  they  formed  a  rare  combination  peculiarly 
suited  to  the  hardships  and  perils  of  his  daring  en- 
terprise. They  gained  the  confidence  of  the  great 
navigator,  who  immediately  took  him  into  his  ser- 
vice, and  promoted  him  to  be  a  corporal  of  marines. 
'  In  this  capacity  he  sailed  from  England,  but  tradi- 
tion reports,  on  what  authority  I  know  not,  that  he 
was  in  due  time  raised  to  the  post  of  sergeant.  That 
he  should  have  been  willing  to  undertake  so  long  a 
voyage,  in  so  humble  a  station,  can  be  accounted  for 
only  from  his  burning  desire  to  be  connected  with 
the  expedition.  His  skill  in  nautical  matters  was  not 
yet  such  as  to  quaUfy  him  for  a  higher  place,  even 
if  he  had  been  able  to  exhibit  stronger  pretensions 
through  the  agency  and  influence  of  friends.  But 
he  was  in  the  midst  of  strangers,  without  any  other 
claims  to  notice,  than  such  as  he  presented  in  his 
own  person.  These  were  his  only  pasport  to  the 
favor  of  Cook,  and  in  relying  on  them  no  one  was 
ever  deceived. 

,,     .  "'■•'■■  tft" 


V^' 


':•  >(,!-. >i1'!vrv<  ,i:s  "  Ji) 

'  V               ■               -JP: 

1       .                          '.                                    \f 

m-^ 

. ■■ '  ■ 

:j-4:Xit^- 

i 

^'1  'i 

,,   '}S'j4!tii^f^;-: 

■  V''  jv^im^' 

,,4.v4:     vv.vrs^^  :/n^. 

■  *'^'  :Ai  'S'Ki.S.j 

W  :  ■'■v •./.;..-  •,---;r:s;i 

';-;?'••  .*i^-5i3c 

'• 


f  \ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


35 


CHAPTER  III. 


Ledyard's  journal  'J  lus  voyage  with  Captain  Cook.— Testimony 
in  his  favor  by  captain  Burney. — Sails  for  the  Cape  of  Good 
Hope. — Thence  to  Kerguelen  s  Islands  and  the  south  of  New 
Holland. — Character  of  the  people  on  Van  Diemen's  Land. — 
Present  state  of  the  colony  there. — Arrives  in  New  Zealand. — 
Account  of  the  people,  their  manners  and  peculiarities. — Re- 
markable contrasts  exhibited  in  their  character. — Love  adventure 
between  an  English  sailor  and  a  New  Zealand  girl. — Omai,  the 
Otaheitan. — Vessels  depart  from  New  Zealand,  ond  fall  in  with 
newly  discovered  islands. — Affecting  story  of  three  Otaheitans 
found  on  one  of  them. — Arrival  at  the  Friendly  Islands. — Peo- 
ple of  Tongataboo. — Their  condition,  mode  of  living,  and 
amusements. — Ledyard  passes  a  night  with  the  King. — ■Wrest- 
ling and  other  athletic  exercises  described. — Fireworks  exhibited 
by  Cook. — Propensity  of  the  natives  to  thieving. — An  instance 
in  a  chief  called  Feenou,  and  the  extraordinary  measures  used  to 
recover  the  stolen  property. — Departure  from  Tongataboo. 

The  particulars  of  this  voyage  have  been  so  often 
repeated  from  the  official  narrative,  and  are  so  ^vell 
known,  that  any  formal  attempt  to  give  a  connected 
series  of  events  would  be  superfluous  and  without 
interest.  I  shall,  therefore,  chiefly  confine  myself 
to  such  incidents  as  came  under  our  traveller's  ob- 
servation, and  to  such  remarks  and  reflections  of  his 
own,  as  indicate  his  opinions  and  the  character  of 
his  mind.  He  kept  a  private  journal  of  the  whole 
voyage,  but  on  the  return  of  the  expedition,  before 
any  person  had  landed,  all  papers  of  this  description 
were  taken  away,  from  both  officers  and  men,  by 
order  of  the  commander,  and  Ledyard's  journal 
among  the  rest.  This  precaution  was  necessary  to 
prevent  an  imperfect  account  of  the  voyage  going 
abroad,  before  one  could  be  issued  under  the  sanc- 
tion of  the  admiralty. 

Ledyard  never  recovered  his  papers,  but  when  he 
returned  to  Hartford,  more  than  two  years  after  the 


I  • 


#. 


\  ' 


\\i 


ti 


'  I  ^ 


M^L. 


"i^j^.^u^  :£^  IP/ 


mm 


\  \ 


36 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


termination  of  the  voyage,  his  friends  induced  him 
to  write  the  short  account,  which  appeared  with  his 
name.  To  satisfy  public  curiosity  till  a  complete 
work  could  be  prepared,  a  very  brief  sketch  of  the 
voyage  in  a  single  volume  had  already  been  publish- 
ed by  authority  in  England.  This  volume  Ledyard 
had  procured,  and  he  relied  on  it  for  dates,  distan- 
ces, the  courses  of  the  vessels,  and  for  other  particu- 
lars serving  to  revive  his  recollection  of  what  he  had 
experienced  and  witnessed.  Extracts  are  made 
without  alteration  in  two  or  three  instances,  and  sev- 
eral of  the  last  pages  are  literally  copied.  With  no 
other  written  materials  Ledyard  produced  his 
manuscript  journal,  which  he  sold  to  Mr  Nathaniel 
Patten,  publisher  in  Hartford,  for  twenty  guineas. 
It  was  printed  in  a  duodecimo  volume  containing  a 
chart,  and  a  dedication  to  Governor  Trumbull,  ex- 
pressive of  the  author's  latitude  for  the  generosity 
and  kindness,  which  he  had  received  from  that  vete- 
ran patriot. 

A  narrative  thus  drawn  up  must  of  course  be  in 
many  respects  imperfect,  but  the  narrator  makes  no 
high  pretensions  ;  he  never  taxes  our  faith  beyond 
the  obvious  bounds  of  probability,  nor  calls  our 
attention  to  hewsay  reports  and  speculations  of  oth- 
ers. He  describes  what  he  saw  and  heard,  and 
utters  his  own  sentiments.  In  a  few  instances  he 
varies  from  the  accounts  afterwards  published  in 
England ;  but  these  commonly  relate  either  to  oc- 
currences as  to  which  he  had  a  better  opportunity 
for  personal  knowledge,  or  concerning  which  for 
various  reasons  it  was  the  policy  of  the  leaders  of 
the  expedition  to  preserve  silence.  The  train  of 
events  at  the  Sandwich  Islands,  which  led  to  the 
death  of  Captain  Cook,  is  narrated  by  Ledyard  in 


*0^- 


^•w^isnwar"^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


37 


a  manner  more  consistent  and  natural,  than  appears 
in  any  other  account  of  it.  The  precipitancy  of  the 
officers,  and  of  Cook  particularly,  or  at  least  their 
want  of  caution,  which  was  the  primary  cause  of  the 
tragical  issue,  was  kept  out  of  sight  by  the  authoriz- 
ed narrators,  and  a  mystery  long  hung  over  that 
catastrophe,  owing  to  the  absence  of  any  obvious 
coherency  between  causes  and  effects.  On  this  point 
Ledyard's  narrative  is  full  and  satisfactory,  as  will  be 
seen  in  its  proper  place. 

As  a  proof  of  our  traveller's  activity  of  mind,  and 
his  ardor  of  inquiry,  during  this  voyage,  I  shall  here 
quote  a  passage  from  a  wo*k  recently  published  by 
Captain  James  Burney,  entitled,  A  Chronological 
History  of  Northeastern  Voyages  of  Discovery. 
The  author  of  this  book  was  a  lieutenant  under 
Cook  in  his  two  last  voyages,  son  of  Dr  Burney,  and 
consequently  brother  of  Madame  D'Arblay,  the 
celebrated  novelist.  He  is  repeatedly  mentioned  in 
Ledyard's  journal,  and  was  a  very  enterprising  offi- 
cer. The  estimation  in  which  our  hero  was  held  by 
him  will  appear  by  the  following  extract,  as  well  as 
by  other  parts  of  the  work.  i 

"  With  what  education  I  know  not,"  says  Captain 
Burney,  "  btit  with  an  ardent  dispq||ition,  Ledyard 
had  a  passion  for  lofty  sentiment  and  description. 
When  corporal  of  marines  on  board  of  the  Resolu- 
tion, after  the  death  of  Captain  Cook,  he  proffered 
his  services  to  Captain  Clerke  to  undertake  the  office 
of  historiographer  to  our  expedition,  and  presented 
a  specimen,  which  described  the  manners  of  the 
Society  Islanders,  and  the  kind  of  life  led  by  our 
people  whilst  among  them.  He  was  not  aware  how 
many  candidates  he  would  have  to  contend  with,  if 
the  office  to  which  he  aspired  had  been  vacant; 


.*#* 


/ 


ft- 


r 


imm 


I 


I    I 


i 


^:fl 


38 


*  . 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


perhaps  not  with  fewer  than  with  every  one  in  the 
two  ships  who  kept  journals.  Literary  ambition  and 
disposition  to  authorship  led  us  in  each  ship  to  set 
up  a  weekly  paper.  When  the  paper  in  either  ship 
was  ready  for  delivery,  a  signal  was  made,  and  when 
answered  by  a  similar  signal  from  the  other  ship, 
Captain  Cook,  if  the  weather  was  fine,  would  good- 
naturedly  let  a  boat  be  hoisted  out  to  make  the  ex- 
change, and  he  was  always  glad  to  read  our  paper, 
but  never  favored  our  editors  with  the  contribution 
of  a  paragraph.  I  believe  none  of  these  papers 
have  been  saved,  nor  do  I  remember  by  what  titles 
we  distinguished  them.  Ledyard's  performance  was 
not  criticised  in  our  paper,  as  that  would  have  en- 
titled him  to  a  freedom  of  controversy  not  consistent 
with  military  subordination.  His  ideas  were  thought 
too  sentimental,  and  his  language  too  florid.  No 
one,  however,  doubted  that  his  feelings  were  in  ac- 
cord with  his  expressions  ;  and  the  same  is  to  be 
said  of  the  little,  which  remains  of  what  he  has  since 
written,  more  worthy  of  being  preserved,  and  which 
its  worthiness  will  preserve,  and  particularly  of  his 
celebrated  commendation  of  women  in  his  Siberian 
Tour."  it^.. 

Ledyard's  contributions  to  the  paper  here  men- 
tioned, and  his  account  of  the  Society  Islanders, 
were  probably  taken  from  him  with  his  manuscript 
journal,  as  1  have  found  no  remnants  of  them  among 
his  papers.  His  printed  Journal  contains  a  graphic 
and  animated  description  of  the  Society  Islands,  but 
it  was  evidently  written  from  recollection,  like  the 
rest  of  the  volume.  This  testimony  of  Captain 
Burney  in  favor  of  his  habits  of  observation,  and 
literary  industry,  may  justly  inspire  confidence  in  his 
writings.  -u.,mJ^  >s^ 


f 


-..\r*  ■ 


I    i 


i..:f'f 


>-l^ 


^■^• 


'  ->*.,';•. 


LIFE  OP  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


39 


*  The  last  expedition  under  Captain  Cook,  and  the 
one  in  which  our  traveller  was  engaged,  left  England 
on  the  twelfth  of  July,  1776.  It  consisted  oi"  two 
ships,  the  Resolution  and  Discovery,  the  former 
commanded  by  Captain  Cook,  and  the  latter  by 
Captain  Clerke.  After  touching  at  Teneriffe,  they 
proceeded  to  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  came  to 
anchor  in  Table  Bay,  where  they  were  to  refit,  lay 
in  a  new  stock  of  provisions,  and  prepare  for  en- 
countering the  inconveniences  and  dangers  of  a  long 
voyage  in  the  great  Southern  Ocean,  with  the  cer- 
tainty that  many  months  must  elapse,  before  they 
could  hope  to  arrive  again  in  a  port  of  civilized 
people. 

Several  days  were  passed  here  in  getting  all  things 
in  readiness ;  the  men  of  science  employed  them- 
selves in  short  excursions  into  the  country ;  provis- 
ions were  collected  by  the  proper  officers ;  and  the 
sailors  were  busy  at  their  daily  tasks.  Last  of  all, 
were  taken  on  board  various  live  animals,  designed 
to  be  left  at  the  islands  where  they  did  not  exist, 
making,  in  connexion  with  those  brought  from  Eng- 
land, a  motley  collection  of  horses,  <  cattle,  sheep, 
goats,  hogs,  dogs,  cats,  hares,  rabbits,  monkeys, 
ducks,  "<'«se,  turkeys,  and  peacocks ;  thus,  says 
our  voyager,  "  did  we  resemble  the  Ark,  and  appear 
as  though  we  were  going  as  well  to  stock  as  to  dis- 
cover a  new  world."  ^sop  might  have  conversed 
for  weeks  with  such  a  congregated  multitude.  The 
monkeys  and  peacocks  seem  to  have  been  out  of 
place  in  this  assembly  of  sober  and  useful  animals, 
and  in  the  end  they  did  little  credit  to  their  commu- 
nity. The  monkeys  never  en  ed  from  mischief, 
and  the  gay  attire  of  the  peacocks  tempted  a  chief 
of  Tongataboo  to  steal  and  carry  them  off. 


^**'*^'-V--'^'i -^S.  '-1 


11 


Hmtm-nm 


I    -^ 


40 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


0 


On  the  first  of  December,  Cook  departed  from 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  proceeded  in  a  south- 
easterly direction,  intending  to  shape  his  course 
around  the  southern  extremity  of  New  Holland. 
After  sailing  twenty-five  days  and  passing  two  islands,  . 
the  tops  of  which  were  covered  with  snow,  although 
it  was  midsummer  in  those  latitudes,  he  came  to 
anchor  at  an  island,  which  had  been  recently  discov- 
ered by  Kerguelen,  a  French  navigator.  A  bottle 
was  found  suspended  by  a  wire  between  two  rocks, 
sealed,  and  containing  a  piece  of  parchment,  on 
which  was  written  in  French  and  Latin  an  account 
of  Kerguelen's  voyage  and  discovery.  The  island 
was  desolate,  without  inhabitants,  trees,  or  shrubs. 
A  little  grass  was  obtained  for  the  cattle,  and  a  spe- 
cies of  vegetable  was  found  resembling  a  wild  cab- 
bage, but  of  no  value.  It  rained  profusely,  streams 
of  fresh  water  came  down  from  the  hills,  and  the 
empty  casks  were  replenished.  The  shore  was  cov- 
ered with  seals  and  sea-dogs,  the  former  of  which, 
apparently  unconscious  of  danger,  were  killed  with- 
out difficulty,  and  they  afforded  a  seasonable  supply 
of  oil  for  lamps  and  other  purposes.  Vast  flocks  of 
birds  hovered  around,  and  the  penguins,  so  little  did 
they  understand  the  character  of  their  visiters,  would 
allow  themselves  to  be  approached  and  knocked 
down  with  clubs.  Man  was  an  enemy,  whose  san- 
guinary prowess  these  tenants  of  the  lonely  island 
had  never  learnt  to  fear,  and  the  simple  penguin 
received  his  death  blow  with  a  composure  and  un- 
concern, that  would  have  immortalized  a  stoic 
philosopher.  The  sailors  were  indulged  in  celebrat- 
ing Christmas  at  Kerguelen's  Island ;  after  which  the 
ships  sailed,  and  the  next  harbour  to  be  gained  was 
Adventure  Bay,  in  Van  Diemen's  Land,  being  at  the 


'^m^-'-::i 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


41 


southern  limits  of  New  Holland.  As  no  discoveries 
were  to  be  attempted  during  this  run,  they  proceed- 
ed directly  to  the  point  of  destination,  at  which  they 
safely  arrived  within  less  than  two  months  after  leav- 
ing the  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 

The  ships  being  moored  in  this  bay,  called  by 
Tasraan,  who  discovered  it,  Frederic  Henry's  Bay, 
the  sailors  were  sent  out  in  parties  to  procure  wood, 
water,  and  grass,  all  of  which  existed  there  in  great 
plenty.  No  inhabitants  appeared,  although  columns 
of  smoke  had  been  seen  here  and  there  rising 
through  the  woods  at  some  distance,  affording  a  sign 
that  people  were  in  the  neighbourhood.  After  a 
day  or  two  the  natives  came  down  to  the  beach  in 
small  parties,  men,  women,  and  children ;  but  they 
seemed  the  most  wretched  of  human  beings,  wear- 
ing no  clothes,  and  carrying  with  them  nothing  but  a 
rude  stick  about  three  feet  long,  and  sharpened  at 
one  end.  Their  skin  was  black,  hair  curly,  and  the 
beards  of  the  men,  as  well  as  their  hair,  besmeared 
with  a  red,  oily  substance.  They  were  inoffensive, 
neither  manifesting  fear,  nor  offering  annoyance  to 
their  visiters.  When  bread  was  given  them,  it  was 
thrown  away  without  being  tasted,  although  they 
were  made  to  understand  that  it  was  to  be  eaten ; 
the  same  they  did  with  fish,  which  had  been  caught 
in  the  harbour  f  but  they  accepted  birds,  and  intimated 
a  fondness  for  that  kind  of  food.  When  a  gun  was 
fired,  they  all  ran  off  like  wild  deer  to  the  woods, 
and  were  seen  no  more  that  day ;  but  their  fright 
was  not  of  long  duiati<>n,  for  they  came  again  the 
next  morning  with  as  little  unconcern  as  ever.  In 
all  respects  these  people  appeared  in  the  lowest  stage 
of  human  advancement.  "  They  are  the  only  peo-  ' 
pie,"  says  Ledyard,  "  who  are  known  to  go  with 
4* 


/ 


?? 


f- 


'M: 


h 


42 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


.    I;  U 


I  \ 


their  persons  entirely  naked,  that  have  ever  yet  been 
discovered.  Amidst  the  most  stately  groves  of  wood, 
they  have  neither  weapons  of  defence,  nor  any  other 
species  of  instruments  applicable  to  the  various  pur- 
poses of  life  ;  contiguous  to  the  sea,  they  have  no 
canoes ;  and  exposed  from  the  nature  of  the  climate 
to  the  inclemency  of  the  seasons,  as  well  as  to  the 
annoyances  of  the  beasts  of  the  forest,  they  have  no 
houses  to  retire  to,  but  the  temporary  shelter  of  a 
few  pieces  of  old  bark  laid  transversely  over  some 
small  poles.  They  appear  also  to  be  inactive,  indo- 
lent, and  unaffected  with  the  least  curiosity."  Gook 
remarked,  that  the  natives  here  resembled  those, 
whom  he  had  seen  in  his  former  voyage  on  the  north 
part  of  New  Holland,  and  from  this  and  other  cir- 
cumstances it  was  inferred,  that  New  Holland  from 
that  point  northward  was  not  divided  by  any  strait. 
Subsequent  discoveries  overthrew  this  conjecture, 
and  it  has  since  been  made  known,  that  Van  Die- 
men's  Land  is  an  island  separated  from  New  Holland 
by  a  passage,  or  strait,  nearly  one  hundred  miles 
broad,  and  containing  many  small  islands.  It  is  re- 
markable, that  no  resemblance  has  been  discovered 
between  the  language  of  the  natives  here,  and  that 
spoken  by  the  New-Hollanders. 

On  Van  Diemen's  island  are  now  some  of  the 
most  flourishing  settlements  in  the  British  dominions. 
The  wilderness  is  disappearing  before  the  strong 
arm  of  enterprise,  and  under  the  hand  of  culture 
the  hills  and  valleys  yield  in  abundance  all  the  pro- 
ducts, common  to  similar  latitudes  in  the  north. 
Emigrants  from  England  annually  flock  to  that 
country,  invest  their  capital  in  lands,  and  engage  in 
agricultural  pursuits.  Towns  have  been  built,  and 
commerce  established.     Wheat,  maize,  wool,  cattle, 


m( 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


43 


miles 


and  other  articles,  are  largely  exported,  and  there  is 
hardly  recorded  in  history  an  instance  of  a  new  colo- 
ny having  increased  so  rapidly  in  numbers  and 
wealth.  The  wild  men,  like  our  North  American 
Indians,  retreat  and  leave  their  native  soil  to  a  better 
destiny. 

When  Cook  had  provided  his  ships  with  wood 
and  water,  they  were  unmoored,  and  their  course 
directed  to  New  Zealand,  where  they  entered  a 
cove  in  Queen  Charlotte's  Sound.  Here  they  re- 
mained a  month,  which  afforded  time  for  observa- 
tions, and  for  laying  in  such  provisions  as  were 
found  in  the  country.  New  Zealand  consists  of  two 
islands,  which  are  situate  between  parallels  of  lati- 
tude on  the  south  of  the  equator,  nearly  correspond- 
ing with  those  of  the  United  States  on  the  north, 
thus  having  a  variable  climate,  and  a  soil  suited  to 
most  of  the  productions  of  temperate  regions.  In 
the  character  of  the  inhabitants  are  exhibited  con- 
trasts never  perceived  in  any  other  people.  They 
are  cannibals,  devouring  human  victims  with  eager- 
ness and  delight,  ferocious  beyond  example  in  Aeir 
wars,  deadly  in  their  revenge,  and  insatiable  in  their 
thirst  for  the  blood  of  their  enemies  ;  yet  they  have 
many  of  the  opposite  traits,  strong  attachment  to 
friends,  with  a  quick  sensibility  to  their  sufferings, 
and  grief  inconsolable  at  the  death  of  a  relative ; 
nor  are  they  devoid  of  generosity,  or  unsusceptible 
of  the  tender  passion.  Living  as  they  do  in  a  tem- 
perate climate,  they  are  an  athletic,  hardy  race  of 
people,  whose  progress  in  refinement  bears  no  pro- 
portion to  their  natural  powers  of  body  and  mind  ; 
and  thus  no  proper  balance  being  maintained,  the 
contending  elements  of  human  nature,  the  propensi- 
ties, passions,  and  affections,  shoot  forth  into  the 


J  ^^ 


ffi-r- 


ih 


44 


LIFE  OP  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


m. 


' 


wildest  extremes.  How  they  should  differ  so  en- 
tirely from  their  neighbours,  the  New-Hollanders, 
who  are  in  nearly  the  same  external  condition,  is  a 
question  upon  which  the  curious  may  speculate,  but 
will  hardly  come  to  a  satisfactory  conclusion. 
Plausible  reasons  may  nevertheless  be  adduced  to 
prove,  that  the  New-Zealanders  and  New-Holland- 
ers, notwithstanding  their  proximity,  have  originated 
from  stocks  widely  remote. 

-  While  the  ships  lay  at  anchor  in  Queen  Charlotte's 
Sound,  a  singular  love  adventure  occurred  between 
a  young  English  sailor  and  a  New  Zealand  girl,  the 
particulars  of  which  are  related  in  Ledyard's  jour- 
nal, as  they  are  also  in  Cook's  Voyages,  and  which 
prove  the  softer  sex  among  savages,  even  the 
daughters  of  cannibals,  to  be  capable  of  deep  affec- 
tion and  strong  attachment.  An  intimacy  was  con- 
tracted between  a  sailor  and  a  native  girl  about 
fourteen  years  of  age,  which  grew,  stronger  from  day 
to  day,  till  at  length  all  the  time  he  couid  spare 
from  his  duties  was  devoted  to  her  society.  He 
furnished  her  with  combs  to  decorate  her  hair,  and 
with  ornaments  for  her  person  ;  and,  to  make  him- 
self more  attractive  in  her  eyes,  he  submitted  to  be 
tattooed  according  to  the  custom  of  the  country. 
His  passion  was  reciprocated  in  the  most  ardent 
and  artless  manner  by  the  maiden,  Gowannahee, 
whom  no  conventional  rules  had  taught  to  conceal 
the  emotions  of  nature ;  and  although  they  under- 
stood not  each  other's  language,  yet  love  whispered 
in  accents,  which  they  found  no  difficulty  in  com- 
prehending. Thus  their  days  and  hours  flew  rapid- 
ly away,  till  the  time  of  separation  approached. 
Gowannahee  was  much  distressed  when  such  an 
event  was  hinted  at;  she 'would  throw  her  arras 


•'^n^-^SkZ,    ■ 


L^k     *    V..'^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


45 


around  her  lover's  neck,  and  insist  that  he  should 
not  go  ;  and  such  were  the  alluring  arts  she  used, 
and  such  the  willingness  of  the  youth  to  be  led  by 
them,  that  he  resolved  to  desert  from  the  ship  and 
remain  behind.  He  contrived  to  remove  his  cloth- 
ing and  other  effects  on  shore,  and  to  escape  by  the 
stratagem  of  dressing  himself  in  the  costume  of  the 
natives  and  mingling  in  the  crowd,  just  as  orders 
were  given  to  sail,  and  the  New-Zealanders  were 
required  to  leave  the  ships.  When  the  roll  was 
called  to  ascertain  if  all  hands  were  on  board,  his 
absence  was  discovered.  The  cause  was  easily  ap- 
prehended, and  some  of  the  officers  were  disposed 
to  let  such  an  instance  of  true  love  have  its  reward, 
and  not  to  disturb  the  enamoured  sailor  in  his  dreams 
of  future  felicity  among  the  savages  of  New  Zealand. 
The  less  sentimental  Cook  was  not  moved  by  these 
mild  counsels ;  he  saw  mischief  in  such  a  precedent, 
and  he  was  inflexible  ;  a  guard  of  marines  was  des- 
patched to  search  for  the  truant,  and  bring  him  back 
to  duty.  He  had  proceeded  to  the  interior  and  se- 
creted himself  with  his  faithful  Gowannahee,  but  his 
hiding-place  was  at  last  discovered.  As  soon  as 
she  perceived  their  intention  to  take  him  away,  she 
was  overwhelmed  with  anguish,  and  at  the  parting 
scene  on  the  beach  she  yielded  herself  up  to  expres- 
sions of  grief  and  despair,  which  the  stoutest  heart 
could  not  witness  unmoved.  The  young  sailor  was 
examined  and  tried  for  his  misdemeanor  ;  but  Cook 
was  so  much  amused  with  the  schemes  he  had  de- 
vised for  himself,  and  the  picture  he  had  drawn  of 
his  future  prospects  and  greatness,  as  the  husband  of 
Gowannahee,  and  a  chief  of  renown,  that  he  forbore 
to  aggravate  the  pains  of  disappointed  hope  by  any 
formal  punishment. 


r 


•-^^^  *"  *■  '5*;:'**T,*^'«r^Cirrr': 


.---■../-—,„ 


-,-v,^-"r."-.r-''-^,- 


"^ 


! 


46 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


Recent  observations  have  confirmed  all  that  was 
said  by  Cook  and  his  companions  of  the  New-Zeal- 
anders.  English  missionaries  have  for  some  years 
past  been  stationed  among  them,  and  possessed  the 
means  of  becoming  perfectly  acquainted  with  their 
character  and  habits.  They  have  witnessed  their 
banquets  of  human  flesh,  their  extremes  of  passion, 
their  savage  barbarity  at  one  time,  and  their  docile, 
affectionate  temper,  and  kr'en  sensibility  at  another. 
War  is  their  highest  delight,  and  in  pursuing  an  en- 
emy, nothing  of  the  human  being  seems  left,  except 
his  reason  maddened  with  revenge,  and  making  him 
adroit  in  the  work  of  death.  In  several  instances, 
boats'  and  ships'  crews  have  been  cut  off  and  devour- 
ed by  them.  Yet  these  people  are  superstitious  and 
full  of  religious  fear,  imagining  themselves  to  be 
surrounded  by  invisible  spirits,  who  have  power 
over  them,  and  who  must  be  conciliated  by  prayers 
and  ceremonies ;  who  control  the  elements,  bring 
rain  on  the  land,  and  rouse  up  the  winds  and  waves 
at  sea.  The  missionaries  have  known  persons  be- 
come so  frantic,  at  the  death  of  a  near  relation,  as 
to  commit  suicide ;  and  it  is  a  common  thing  for 
them  to  wound  and  mangle  their  bodies  in  a  fright- 
ful manner  on  such  occasions.  When  Mr  Marsden 
made  his  second  missionary  tour  to  these  islands, 
after  having  been  away  two  or  three  years,  his  old 
acquaintances  burst  into  tears  in  talking  of  their 
friends,  who  had  died  during  his  absence.  History 
does  not  acquaint  us  with  more  eminent  examples 
of  humanity  and  pious  efforts,  of  resolution  and 
self-denial,  than  are  manifested  in  the  missionaries, 
who  have  forsaken  even  the  common  comforts  of 
civilized  life,  and  settled  down  with  a  determination 
to  pass  their  days  in  this  region  of  moral  darkness 
and  human  debasement.* 


jKi.' 


..v.         '! 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


47 


While  Cook  was  at  New  Zealand  he  was  greatly 
assisted  in  his  intercourse  with  the  people  by  Oraai, 
a  native  of  the  Society  Islands,  whom  he  had  taken 
to  England  on  a  former  voyage,  and  who  was  now 
returning  to  his  country,  loaded  with  presents  from 
the  king,  and  other  persons  whom  curiosity  had 
drawn  around  him,  in  Great  Britain.  Although 
Omai  had  never  before  seen  a  New-Zealander,  yet 
the  language  so  much  resembled  his  own,  that  he 
could  easily  converse  with  the  inhabitants.  As  he 
knew  English,  he  thus  became  a  ready  interpreter. 
This  was  an  advantage,  which  Cook  had  never  been 
able  to  enjoy  on  any  former  occasion. 

The  vessels  weighed  anchor  and  departed  from 
Queen  Charlotte's  Sound,  destined  to  Otaheite,  or, 
as  it  is  now  called,  Tahiti,  the  largest  of  the  Socie- 
ty Islands,  and  about  fifteen  hundred  miles  distant 
from  New  Zealand.  Head  winds  and  boisterous 
weather  forced  them  out  of  their  course  ;  grass  and 
water  for  the  cattle,  as  well  as  fresh  provisions  for 
the  men,  bf  a  to  fail ;  and  it  was  thought  best  to 
bear  away  lor  tlie  Friendly  Islands,  where  a  supply 
could  be  at  once  obtained.  On  this  passage  they 
fell  in  with  several  islands  never  before  discovered, 
but  their  shores  were  so  closely  bound  with  coral 
reefs  as  to  prevent  the  approach  of  the  ships.  The 
natives  came  off  in  canoes,  and  brought  hogs  and 
fruit,  which  they  gave  in  exchange  for  articles  of 
little  value. 

A  small  party,  consisting  of  Mr  Burney,  thrfie  cw 
four  other  officers,  and  Omai,  landed  on  one  of  these 
islands,  called  Watteeoo,  where  tliey  were  immedi- 
ately plundered  of  everything  they  had  about  them, 
and  detained  through  the  day.  Great  crowds  gath- 
ered around,  and  annoyed  them  much,  but  no  vio- 


i.  v'i 


'^ 


^':t^:-jiA^ .     »iA 


;«iS 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


lonce  was  offered  to  their  persons.  Here  Omai  was 
astonished  to  find  three  of  his  own  countrymen. 
Their  story  was  affecting.  Several  years  before, 
they  had  set  off  in  a  large  canoe  with  a  party  of 
about  twenty  persons,  men,  women,  and  children, 
to  pass  from  Otaheite  to  Ulietea,  a  neighbouring  isl- 
and. A  storm  overtook  them,  and,  after  continuing 
three  days,  drove  them  so  far  out  to  sea,  that  they 
knew  not  where  they  were,  nor  what  course  to  steer. 
Some  of  the  women  and  children  had  perished  in 
the  storm,  and  others  were  so  much  exhausted  as  to 
survive  no  longer.  The  canoe  was  carried  along  by 
the  current  from  day  to  day  ;  water  and  provision 
failed  ;  some  of  the  survivors  died  of  hunger  and 
fatigue  J  others  in  the  frenzy  of  despair  jumped  over- 
board and  were  drowned ;  and  after  thirteen  days, 
when  the  canoe  was  discovered  by  the  natives  of 
Watteeoo,  it  contained  but  four  men,  and  these  so 
much  reduced  by  famine  and  suffering,  as  to  be  un- 
conscious of  their  situation,  and  scarcely  to  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  dead  bodies,  with  which  they 
were  promiscuously  lying,  in  the  bottom  of  the  boat. 
They  were  taken  on  shore,  and  by  kind  treatment 
tliey  gradually  recovered  their  consciousness  and 
strength.  One  had  since  died,  but  the  other  three 
said  they  were  happy  in  their  adopted  country,  and 
declined  Omai's  invitation  to  return  with  him  to  their 
native  islands,  adding  that  their  nearest  relatives  had 
perished  before  their  eyes  on  the  disastrous  voyage, 
and  it  would  only  be  renewing  their  grief  to  visit 
again  the  places,  in  which  they  had  formerly  known 
them. 

The  distance  between  Otaheite  and  Watteeoo  is 
more  than  fifteen  hundred  miles,  and  this  voyage  of 
a  canoe  affords  an  important  fact  in  solving  the  great 


,iK^'^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


49 


problem,  which  has  so  long  perplexed  geographers  and 
speculating  philosophers,  as  lo  the  manner  in  which 
the  innumerable  clusters  of  islands  in  the  Pacific 
ocean  have  been  peopled.  We  here  have  proof  in- 
contestible,  that  a  communication  between  remote 
islands  was  possible,  even  by  such  means  only  as  the 
natives  themselves  possessed.  This  single  fact,  in 
short,  is  enough  to  settle  the  question.  : 

After  touching  at  Anamoca,  and  remaining  some 
days  at  the  Happaee  Islands,  Cook  came  to  anchor 
in  a  harbour  of  Tongataboo,  on  the  ninth  of  June. 
Here  they  stayed  twenty-six  days,  collecting  a  great 
abundance  of  provisions,  and  living  on  social  and 
friendly  terms  with  the  natives.  This  island  is  ex- 
ceedingly fertile,  covered  with  forests  and  luxuriant 
herbage.  Agriculture  and  the  arts  of  life  were  car- 
ried to  a  much  greater  extent  here,  than  at  New 
Zealand,  or  indeed  most  of  the  South  Sea  islands. 
The  kind  disposition  of  the  people  had  given  to 
Tongataboo,  and  the  cluster  of  islands  in  its  neigh- 
bourhood, the  name  of  the  Friendly  Islands.  Later 
experience  has  proved,  that  they  had  a  smaller 
claim  to  this  distinction,  than  was  at  first  supposed. 
It  is  very  probable,  however,  that  their  acquaintance 
with  civiHzed  men  was  the  principal  cause  of  their 
apparent  change  of  character.  They  learnt  new 
vices  faster  than  they  acquired  a  knowledge  of  their 
criminality,  or  the  moral  power  of  resisting  tempta- 
tion. Nowhere  have  the  missionaries  found  their 
situation  more  uncomfortable,  or  their  task  more 
difficult,  than  at  the  Friendly  Islands.  When  visited 
by  Cook,  the  people  were  comparatively  amiable, 
simple,  and  happy,  addicted  to  the  weaknesses,  but 
not  to  the  grosser  crimes  of  tlie  savage  state  ;  accus- 
tomed to  warlike  enterprises,  but  not  raakhig  them, 
5 


»  I 


50 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


as  did  the  New-Zealanders,  the  chief  source  of  their 
j)leasure,  and  the  great  business  of  their  lives.  On 
the  contrary,  they  had  amusements  of  an  innocent 
kind,  as  well  as  curious  religious  ceremonies,  which 
occupied  much  of  their  time,  and  were  suited  to  a 
state  of  peace  and  tranquillity.  These  were  often 
exhibited,  and  obviously  as  much  with  a  desire  to 
please  their  visitants,  as  to  show  off  their  skill  to  ad- 
vantage, or  promote  their  own  gratification.  The 
king,  or  great  chief,  whose  name  was  Poulaho,  treat- 
ed Cook  with  marked  respect,  and  caused  all  his 
people  to  do  the  same,  as  far  as  he  could  exercise 
his  power  to  that  end.  Ledyard  describes  in  an 
agreeable  manner  the  scenes,  that  came  under  his 
observation  at  Tongataboo.  The  day  after  landing, 
it  was  his  duty  to  be  on  shore,  and  he  passed  the 
night  with  Poulaho,  who  had  declined  Cook's  invi- 
tation to  go  with  him  on  board. 

"  It  was  just  dusk,"  says  Ledyard,  "  when  they 
parted,  and  as  I  had  been  present  during  a  part  of 
this  first  interview,  and  was  detained  on  shore,  I  was 
glad  he  did  not  go  off,  and  asked  him  to  my  tent ;  but 
Poulaho  chose  rather  to  have  me  go  with  him  to  his 
house,  where  we  went  and  sat  down  together  with- 
out the  entrance.  We  had  been  here  but  a  few 
minutes,  before  one  of  the  natives  advanced  through 
the  grove  to  the  skirts  of  the  green,  and  there  halted. 
Paulaho  observed  him,  and  told  me  he  wanted  him, 
upon  which  I  beckoned  to  the  Indian,  and  he  came 
to  us.  When  he  approached  Poulaho,  he  squatted 
down  upon  his  hams,  and  put  his  forehead  to  the 
sole  of  Poulaho's  foot,  and  then  received  some  di- 
rections from  him,  and  went  away,  and  returned 
again  very  soon  with  some  baked  yams  and  fish 
rolled  up  in  fresh  plantain  leaves,  and  deposited  in  a 


/    - 

.   >   V,: 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


51 


invi- 


little  basket  made  of  palm  leaves,  and  a  large  cocoa- 
nut  shell  full  of  clean  fresh  water,  and  a  smaller  one 
of  salt  water.  These  he  set  down,  and  went  and 
•  brought  a  mess  of  the  same  kind,  and  set  them  down 
by  me.  Poulaho  tlien  desired  I  would  eat ;  but 
preferring  salt,  which  I  had  in  the  tent,  to  the  sea 
water  which  they  used,  I  called  one  of  the  guard, 
and  had  some  of  that  brought  me  to  eat  with  my  fish, 
which  was  really  most  deUghtfully  dressed,  and  of 
which  I  ate  very  heartily. 

"  Their  animal  and  vegetable  food  is  dressed  in 
the  same  manner  here,  as  at  the  southern  and  north- 
ern tropical  islands  throughout  these  seas,  being  all 
baked  among  hot  stones  laid  in  a  hole,  and  covered 
over  first  with  leaves  and  then  with  mould.  Pou- 
laho was  fed  by  the  chief  who  waited  on  him,  both 
with  victuals  and  drink.  After  he  had  finished,  the 
remains  were  carried  away  by  the  chief  in  waiting, 
who  returned  soon  after  with  two  large  separate  rolls 
of  cloth,  and  two  little  low  wooden  stools.  The 
cloth  was  for  a  covering  while  asleep,  and  the  stools 
to  raise  and  rest  the  head  on,  as  we  do  on  a  pillow. 
These  were  left  within  the  house,  or  rather  under 
the  roof,  one  side  being  open.  The  floor  within 
was  composed  of  coarse  dry  grass,  leaves,  and  flow- 
ers, over  which  were  spread  large,  well  wrought 
mats.  On  this  Poulaho  and  I  removed  and  sat 
down,  while  the  chief  unrolled  and  spread  out  the 
cloth  ;  after  which  he  retired,  and  in  a  few  minutes 
there  appeared  a  fine  young  girl  about  seventeen 
years  of  age,  who,  approaching  Poulaho,  stooped 
and  kissed  his  great  toe,  and  then  retired  and  sat 
down  in  an  opposite  part  of  the  house.  It  was  now 
about  nine  o'clock,  and  a  bright  moonshine  ;  the  sky 
was  serene,  and  the  winds  hushed.     Suddenly  I 


■  t*  ■ 


l^wf^J*    ttim,^  ^  , 


--'■  :'Jj<>  I^lwftliri"'.i1|l|»|lifll1>l 


V-^Sri"-^-^ 


52 


LIFE  OP  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


heard  a  number  of  their  flutes,  beginning  nearly  at 
the  same  time,  burst  from  every  quarter  of  the  sur- 
rounding grove  ;  and  whether  this  was  meant  as  an 
exhilarating  serenade,  or  a  soothing  soporific  to  the 
^reat  Poulaho,  I  cannot  tell.  Immediately  on  hear- 
ing the  music  he  took  me  by  the  hand,  intimating 
that  he  was  going  to  sleep,  and  showing  me  the  other 
cloth,  v\^ich  was  spread  nearly  beside  him,  and  the 
pillow,  invited  me  to  use  it." 

After  describing  the  occupations  of  the  natives, 
their  traffic,  articles  of  trade,  and  some  of  their  cus- 
toms, he  speaks  of  their  amusements. 

"  The  markets  being  over,  tliere  were  generally 
an  hour  or  two,  and  those  before  dark,  in  which  the 
natives,  to  entertain  us  and  exhibit  their  own  accom- 
plishments, used  to  form  matches  at  wrestling,  box- 
ing, and  other  athletic  exercises,  of  which  they  were 
very  vain,  and  in  which  they  were  by  far  the  best 
accomplished  of  all  the  people  we  ever  visited  before 
or  after.  These  exercises  were  always  performed 
on  the  green  within  the  circle ;  and  among  the  Indian 
spectators  there  were  a  certain  number  of  elderly 
men,  who  presided  over  and  regulated  the  exercise. 
When  one  of  the  wrestlers,  or  combatants,  was 
fairly  excelled,  they  signified  it  by  a  short  sonorous 
sentence,  which  they  sung,  expressing  that  he  was 
fallen,  fairly  fallen,  or  that  he  was  fairly  conquered, 
and  that  the  victor  kept  the  field.  From  this  there 
was  no  appeal,  nor  indeed  did  they  seem  to  want  it, 
for  among  their  roughest  exercises  I  never  saw  any 
of  them  choleric,  envious,  malicious,  or  revengeful ; 
but  preserving  their  tempers,  or  being  less  irascible 
than  we  generally  are,  they  quitted  the  stage  with  the 
same  good  nature  with  which  they  entered  it. 

"  When  they  wrestle,  they  sieze  each  other  by  a 


If     it. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


53 


Strong  plaited  girdle,  made  of  the  fibres  of  the  cocoa- 
nut,  and  worn  round  the  waist  for  that  purpose  ; 
and  they  describe  nearly  the  same  operations  in  this 
contest  that  we  do  in  what  wo  call  hugging  or  scuf- 
fling. In  boxing,  their  manoeuvres  are  different. 
They  had  both  hands  clenched,  and  bound  round 
separately  with  small  cords,  which  perhaps  was  in- 
tended to  prevent  their  clenching  each  other  when 
closely  engaged,  thus  preventing  foul  play  ;  or  it 
might  be  to  preserve  the  joints  of  the  fingers,  and 
especially  the  thumb,  from  being  dislocated.  Per- 
haps the  best  general  idea  I  can  convey  of  their 
attitudes  in  this  exercise,  is  to  con  lare  them  with 
those  of  the  ancient  gladiators  of  Rome,  which  they 
much  resemble. 

"  They  are  very  expert  and  intrepM  in  ihoQc  per- 
formances, but  as  they  are  mere  friendly  etforts  of 
skill  and  prowess,  they  continue  no  longer  than  t'l' 
the  purposes  of  such  a  contention  are  answered  ; 
and  the  combatant,  as  soon  as  he  finds  tha  iic  shall 
be  conquered,  is  seldom  such  an  obstinate  iool,  as  to 
be  beat  out  of  his  senses  to  be  made  sensible  he  is 
so,  but  retires  most  commonly  with  a  whole  skin. 
But  the  exercise  of  the  club  is  not  so,  and  as  these 
contests  are  very  severe,  and  even  dangerous,  they 
are  seldom  performed.  We  never  saw  but  one 
instance  of  it,  but  it  was  a  most  capital  one,  as  the 
performers  were  capital  characters  ;  and  though  we 
expected  the  exhibition  to  be  very  short,  yet  it  lasted 
nearly  twenty  minutes,  protracted  by  the  skill  of  the 
combatants  in  avoiding  each  oth'.if^:,  blows,  some  of 
which  were  no  less  violent  than  artful.  After  being 
pretty  well  buffeted  about  the  body,  a  fortuitous 
blow  upon  the  head  of  one  decided  the  matter,  and 
the  conquered  was  carried  off,  while  the  victor, 
5* 


■mr 


V. 


i 


■  -T'  — ""f?" 


^  ..  i.'^v'-'->""-''"W' 


54 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


.<',  y 


\x 


*. 


elated  with  success,  stood  and  enjoyed  the  subse* 
quent  shouts  of  praise,  that  proceeded  from  the 
spectators.  When  these  shouts  ended,  the  young 
women  round  the  circle  rose,  and  sang,  and  danced 
a  short  kind  of  interlude  in  celebration  of  the  hero." 

Not  to  be  outdone  by  the  monarch  of  the  Friendly 
Isles  in  politeness  and  attempts  to  please.  Cook  got 
up  a  brilliant  exhibition  of  fireworks,  with  which 
Poulaho  and  all  his  people  were  greatly  astonished 
and  delighted.  The  mathematical  and  astronomical 
instruments,  whvch  had  been  fitted  up  in  tents  on 
shore,  were  also  matters  of  curiosity  and  wonder. 
The  natives  were  particularly  amused,  likewise,  with 
the  horses,  cows,  sheep,  goats,  and  other  animals, 
which  Ledyard  said,  on  leaving  the  Cape  of  Grood 
Hope,  made  the  ships  resemble  Noah's  ark.  As 
dogs  and  hogs  were  the  only  animals  found  on  the 
islands,  and  of  r  ourse  the  only  ones  ever  before 
seen  by  the  inhabitants,  they  seemed  completely 
puzzled  to  know  what  to  make  of  these  new  orders 
of  the  creation.  The  sheep  and  goats  they  called 
birds  ;  but  the  horses,  cows,  cats,  and  rabbits,  were 
nondescripts  for  which  no  place  had  been  assigned 
in  their  scientific  arrangement. 

Thus  agreeably  passed  the  days  at  Tongataboo ; 
the  good-natured  people  omitted  nothing,  which  was 
in  their  power,  to  gratify  their  nsiters,  whether  by 
supplying  them  with  the  best  provisions  the  islands 
afforded,  or  by  amusing  them  with  innocent  pastimes. 
One  thing  only  marred  the  harmony  of  their  inter- 
course. These  simple  and  hospitable  people,  each 
and  all,  from  the  highest  rank  downwards,  were  in- 
corrigible thieves ;  that  is,  they  made  no  scruple 
to  take  whatever  they  could  lay  their  fingers  upon, 
and  appropriate  it  to  their  own  use.    Tfiis  habit  was 


'^^ 


^^. 


M-, 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


55 


m 


prevalent  throughout  all  the  South  Sea  islands,  but 
nowhere  had  the  voyagers  been  so  much  annoyed 
by  it,  as  at  these  islands  of  friendship.     Cook  re- 
sorted to  summary  and  severe  measures  to  teach  the 
natives  what  he  thought  of  this  vice,  and  sometimes 
inflicted  punishments  little  suited  to  the  moral  light 
of  the  people,  whom  he  arraigned  as  transgressors. 
It  does  not  appear  that  pilfering  was  deemed  a 
crime,  or  a  disreputable  offence ;  and  indeed  the 
historian  of  Cook's  Voyages  declares,  that  "  the  in- 
•^    f  habitants  of  the  South  Sea  islai^^s  in  their  pet^ 
^brcenies  were  actuated  by  a  cnudish  disposition, 
I  rather  than  a  thievish  one."    In  this  view  of  the 
subject,  it  can  hardly  be  imagined  that  there  was 
any  natural  right  in  the  civiUzed  visiters  to  inflict 
harsh  punishment  on  their  ignorant  and  kind  enter- 
tainers ;  on  the  contrary,  it  was  cruel  and  unjust ; 
it  was  the  last  way  to  gain  friends,  or  to  inspire  the 
natives  with  a  love  of  the  moral  code.     Ledyard 
liipeaks  with  warmth  of  some  examples  of  this  kind, 
fi  which  came  under  his  notice,  but  adds,  alluding  to 
i  Cook,  "  It  must  be  remembered  that  the  abiUty  of 
*j  performing  the  important  errand  before  us,  depended 
very  much,  if  not  entirely,  upon  the  precarious  sup- 
plies we  might  procure  from  these  and  other  such 
■^.  islands,  and  he  must  of  consequence  be  very  anxious 
.r  and  solicitous  in  this  concernment ;  but  perhaps  no 
4  consideration  will  excuse  the  severity,  which  he 
<^  sometimes  used  towards  the  natives  on  these  occa- 
sions ;  and  he  would  probably  have  done  better  to 
;  consider,  that  the  full  exertion  of  extreme  power  is 
an   argument  of  extreme  weakness;    and  nature 
,•  seemed  to  inform  the  insulted  natives  of  the  truth  of 
y  this  maxim,  for  before  we  quitted  Tongataboo,  we 
^^  could  not  go  anywhere  into  the  country  upon  busi- 
'  ness  or  pleasure  without  danger." 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


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^  One  instance  is  related  with  more  particularity 
than  others,  as  it  occurred  in  high  life,  and  was 
made  a  state  concern.  In  Tongataboo  was  a  chief 
caUed  Feenou,  a  man  of  fine  personal  appearance, 
graceful  and  commanding  in  his  carriage,  frank  in 
his  disposition,  generous,  enterprising,  and  bold ;  in 
short,  he  was  the  idol  of  the  people,  and  throughout 
all  the  isles  there  was  no  chief,  whose  renown  was 
so  loudly  and  heartily  trumpeted  as  that  of  Feenou. 
He  was  the  man,  whom  the  great  Poulaho  delighted 
to  honor  above  oilers.  When  the  strangers  came, 
Feenou  was  thieir  early  and  devoted  friend,  and  his 
attachment  and  kind  offices  held  out  to  the  last. 
"  If  they  lost  any  goods,  and  these  were  carried 
either  to  the  interior  uf  Tongataboo,  or  to  any  of  the 
detached  islands,  their  only  confidential  resource' 
was  Feenou  ;  or  if  any  other  emergency  required 
despatch,  policy,  courage,  or  force,  Feenou  was  the 
man  to  advise  and  act."  Such  were  the  character 
and  deeds  of  this  chief.  He  could  subdue  the 
hearts  of  men,  and  the  strength  of  an  enemy,  but 
he  could  not  conquer  the  tyranny  of  habit.  From 
day  to  day  he  had  gazed  with  inward  raptures  upon 
the  gaudy  plumage  of  the  peacocks,  which  had  been 
brought  with  much  care  and  trouble  from  England  ; 
their  charms  were  irresistible ;  just  as  the  vessels 
were  about  to  sail,  the  peacocks  disappeared  ;  Fee- 
nou was  also  out  of  die  way ;  he  had  stolen  the 
birds,  and  concealed  himself  with  his  booty. 

The  affi-ont  was  resented  by  Cook  in  an  extraor- 
dinary manner;  he  immediately  ordered  Poulaho, 
the  king,  to  be  arrested,  and  placed  a  guard  over 
him  in  his  own  house,  giving  him  to  understand  that 
be  should  be  held  a  prisoner  till  the  peacocks  were 
restored.    This  was  a  novel  mode  of  making  a  king 


.-,.  -.-J 


;r 


■'■  i  i  ■ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


ST 


answerable  for  the  acts  of  his  subjects.  Much  dis- 
order ensued ;  the  chiefs  felt  the  insult  offered  to 
their  sovereign,  and  began  to  assume  a  warlike  atti- 
tude, and  threaten  the  guard  ;  but  Poulaho  advised 
them  to  desist,  and  preservi3  peace  till  a  reconcilia- 
tion should  be  attempted  ;  and  when  Cook  appeared, 
the  king  saluted  him  witii  dignity  and  respect,  but 
with  a  manfest  sense  of  the  injustice  that  was  prac- 
tised upon  him.  His  coolness  and  counsel  kept  the 
people  from  offering  violence  to  the  guards,  who 
surrounded  him  with  ifixed  bayonet*  ;  and  the  next 
day  Feenou  himself  came  forward,  entreated  for  the 
release  of  the  king,  and  assured  Cook  that  the  birds 
should  be  returned  to  him  before  sunset.  Thus  the 
affair  was  happily  terminated,  leaving  a  much  strong- 
er proof  of  the  firmness  than  the  prudence  of  the 
great  navigator.  The  reconciliation  was  followed 
by  magnificent  presents  of  red  feathers  and  proviso 
ions  on  the  part  of  Feenou,  and  others  equally 
valuable  from  Cook.  He  gave  Poulaho  some  of  the 
domestic  animals,  which  he  had  brought  from  Eing-> 
land  for  the  purpose  of  distributing  among  tliwB 
islands.  All  parties  separated  mutually  satisfied 
with  each  other,  and  with  as  warm  tokens  of  friend- 
ship from  the  natives,  as  could  be  expected  after  the 
recent  transactions. 


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; 


IIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 
CHAPTER  IV. 


Sode'y  Islands. — Otaheite. — Ledyard's  description  of  the  lan- 
guage, customs,  religion,  laws,  and  government  of  the  natives. 
— Their  probable  faith  in  the  doctrine  of  transmigration. — ^Re- 
marks on  his  modd  of  reasoning  on  this  subject.— His  theory  of 
the  oiigin  of  customs  and  superstitions. — Notions  of  a  Deity 
aiT' -g  the  Olaheitans. — Conduct  of  Omai. — Difficulties  attend- 

°  lUj;  the  efforts  to  civilize  savages. — Sand  ivich  Islands  discovered. 
— :^e  viissels  proceed  to  the  American  continent,  and  anchor  in 
IVc'tk.^  Sound. — ^Appearance  and  manners  of  the  people.— 

*  InJian  wampum.->-The  abundance  of  furs. — Cannibalism. — 
Curious  digression  on  the  origin  and  practice  of  sacrifices. — 
Captain  Cook:  passes  Bering's  Straits,  explores  the  norOiem 
ocean  till  stopped  by  the  ice,  and  returns  to  the  island  of  Ona- 
laska. — Sends  Ledy^  with  two  Indians  in  search  of  a  RussiacT 
establishment  on  me  coast. — His  account  of  this  adventure. — 
In  what  manner  he  was  transported  in  a  canoe. — Village  of 
Russians  and  Indians. — Hot  baths. — Their  habitations  and  man- 
ner of  living  described. — Bering's  vessel. — ^Ledyard  returns  to 
the  ships,  and  reports  to  Captain  Coek. — ^Ezped^tlpo  retu^is  to 
the  Sandwich  Islands.  ,  •.  . ,  .  ^  ,    '»    ■      r' ,  j,,L  ^  ^  -v? 

We  shall  next  join  our  navigators  at  the  Society 
Islands,  where  they  arrived  on  the  fourteenth  of 
August.  Many  of  the  officers  and  seamen,  who 
had  been  there  on  a  former  voyage,  were  recognised 
by  the  natives,  and  received  with  great  cordiality  ; 
the  day  of  landing  at  Otaheite  was  given  up  to  fes- 
tivity and  mutual  congratulations  between  old  ac- 
quaintances.   .  ■     ■  fM  Ji^^'^-v^ 

The  occurrences  during  their  stay  at  these  islands, 
are  related  in  a  lively  manner  by  Ledyard.  He  de- 
scribes the  natural  productions  of  the  Society 
Islands ;  the  appearance  and  condition  of  the  natives ; 
their  food,  clothing,  and  houses ;  their  language, 
customs,  religion,  laws,  and  government.  From  the 
minuteness  with  which  he  speaks  on  most  of  these 
subjects,  it  is  evident  that  the  principal  points  in  the 
essay  mentioned  by  Mr  Burney  were  still  fresh  in 


(/) 


V'.. 


►^.*-*^*.  •^*-- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


m 


his  memory,  and  moreover  that  he  was  a  close  and 
inquisitive  observer  of  everything,  which  came  within 
his  reach  or  knowledge. 

"  The  inhabitants,"  he  remarks,  "  are  of  the 
largest  size  of  Europeans  ;  the  men  are  tall,  s\::ong, 
well  limbed,  and  fairly  shaped.  The  women  of 
superior  rank  among  them  are  also  in  general  above 
our  middle  size,  but  those  of  the  inferior  rank  are 
far  below  it ;  some  of  them  are  quite  small.  Their 
complexion  is  a  clear  olive,  or  brunette,  and  the 
whole  contour  of  the  face  quite  handsome,  except 
the  nose,  which  is  generally  a  little  incUned  to  be 
flat.  Their  hair  is  black  and  coarse ;  the  men  have 
beards,  but  pluck  the  greatest  part  of  them  out  j 
they  are  vigorous,  easy,  graceful,  and  liberal  in  their 
deportment,  and  of  a  courteous,  hospitable  disposi- 
tion, but  shrewd  and  artful.  The  women  cut  their 
hair  short,  and  the  men  wear  theirs  long.  They 
have  a  custom  of  staining  their  bodies  in  a  manner 
that  is  universal  among  all  those  islands,  and  is  cal- 
led by  them  tattooing ;  in  doing  this  they  prick  the 
skin  with  an  instrument  of  small  sharp  bones,  which 
they  dip  as  occasion  requires  into  a  black  composi- 
tion of  coal  dust  and  water,  which  leaves  an  indelible 
stain.  The  operation  is  painful,  and  it  is  some  dayi& 
before  the  wound  is  well.  •  j'  wi?- 
V  "  Their  clothing  consists  of  a  cloth  made  of  the 
inner  rind  of  the  bark  of  three  different  kinds  of 
trees,  the  Chinese  paper-mulberry,  the  bread-fruit 
tree,  and  a  kind  of  wild  fig  tree,  which,  in  the  form- 
ation of  different  kinds  of  cloth,  are  differently 
disposed  of  by  using  one  singly,  or  any  two,  or  all 
of  them  together.  The  principal  excellences  of 
this  cloth  are  its  coolness  and  softness ;  its  defects 
are  its  being  pervious  to  water  and   easily  torn. 


/' 


k 


Tv 


*.. 


-'■■  "i 


<\\ 


60 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


\ 


Tiiey  :iometimes,  especially  if  it  is  wet,  wear  fine 
mats  vt  which  they  have  a  great  variety. 

"  Their  amusements  are  music,  dancing,  wrest- 
ling, and  boxing,  all  which  are  hke  those  of  Tonga- 
taboo. 

"  A^  M  the  religion,  laws,  and  govorr'ment  oi  tb:'S9 
people^  much  has  been  said  about  r/v  n  b)  foniie? 
voyagers ;  and  in  truth  too  mu».  Ii,  »jspocia]H'  aboiu 
iiieir  religion,  which  diey  are  not  fond  of  discover  - 
ing,  and  therefore,  sLen  uyv:ed  or:  the  matter,  they 
have  often,  rather  tbsn  displease  those  who  made 
the  iiiijuiry,  told  not  unly  different  accounts,  but  "uch 
as  were  utterly  inconsistent  wit^>  what  we  knew  to 
be  true  from  roular  dt;u;on'n)fation.  They  assured 
us,  for  instance,  that  they  never  sacnficf  /  Human 
bodies ;  but  an  accident  happened,  ibat  contradicted 
It.  and  g£i  ve  us  the  full  proof  of  it,  the  operation  and 

X  "  Tiioy  believe  in  the  immortality  of  the  soul,  at 
least  its  existence  in  a  future  state ;  but  how  it  ex- 
ists, whether  as  a  mere  spiritual  sssbstance,  or  whether 
it  is  united  again  to  a  corporeal  or  material  form^ 
and  what  form,  is  uncertain.  li  is  supposed  they 
have  notions  of  transmigration.  Our  conjectures 
(wiginate  from  observing  diat  universal,  constant,  and 
uniform  regard,  which  they  pay  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree  to  every  species  of  subordinate  beings,  even 
to  the  minutest  insect,  and  the  most  insignificant 
reptile.  This  was  never  esteemed  a  philosophical 
sentiment,  nor  a  mere  dictate  of  nature,  because  the 
people  who  entertain  these  notions  are  not  led  to 
embrace  them  by  the  unbiassed  impulses  of  nature, 
which  would  lead  them  to  regard  their  own  species 
more  than  any  other.  It  must,  therefore,  be  from 
other  motives ;  and  I  know  of  none  so  probable  as 


/■' '' 


•>Si 


r 


h', 


:  i 


'  j 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


61 


religion  or  superstition,  which  are  indeed  synony- 
mous terms  when  applied  to  these  people  ;  besides, 
it  is  well  known  lo  have  been  a  religious  sentiment 
among  many  other  people,  both  ancient  and  modern, 
who  have  claimed  the  appellation  of  civilized.     It 
exists  now  among  several  Asiatic  sects,  both  east 
and  west  of  the  Ganges,  particularly  among  the 
Banians,  who  abstain  from  all  animal  food.     It  is 
well  known,  that  some  tribes  in  Asia  have  built  hos- 
pitals for  certain  species  of  subordinate  beings." 
''    The  author's  reasoning  here  about  the  doctrine  of 
transmigration  is  somewhat  curious,  but  his  inference 
that  the  natives  believed  in  it,  because  they  showed  a 
regard  for  inferior  animals,  is  at  least  questionable. 
He  goes  on  to  enforce  his  opinion,  however,  by  re- 
marking that  the}  eat  little  animal  food,  and  abstain 
from  the  flesh  of  some  kinds  of  birds  altogether.    In 
killing  animals,  also,  they  are  careful  to  inflict  as 
little  pain  as  .possible  ;  they  are  extremely  indulgent 
to  rats,  with  which  they  are  much  infested,  and 
rarely  do  them  any  harm ;  when  stung  by  flies  or 
musquitoes,  they  only  frighten  them  away.     This 
lenity  towards  animals,  however  commendable  in 
those  who  practise  it,  will  hardly  prove  their  faith  in 
the  doctrine  of  transmigration,  or  that  these  savages 
refrained  from  crushing  a  fly  or  musquito,  because 
they  apprehended  a  spirit,  which  had  once  animated 
a  human  form,  had  been  doomed  to  an  existence  in 
one  of  these  insects.     It  is  a  favorite  theory  of  the 
author,  at  which  he  hints  on  several  occasions,  that 
such  habits  and  superstitions  of  a  people,  as  are 
woven  into  their  character  and  history,  must  have 
come  down  from  some  very  remote  time,  and  not 
have  sprung  out  of  casual  or  local  circumstances,  of 
which  any  knowledge  exists.      He  says,  "  all  the 
4 


0 


;f. 


/ 


\  . 


^ 


ir 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


rest. 


j» 


Having  above  spoken  of  Omai,  the  native  of  the 


-M- 


customs  of  mankind  appear  to  be  derivative  and  tra-  *' 
ditionary."  How  far  he  would  carry  back  the 
tradition,  he  does  not  add ;  but  this  doctrine  of 
transmigration  he  traces  to  Asia,  and  supposes  it  to 
have  found  its  way  to  the  islands  of  the  PaciSc 
with  the  first  settlers,  who  came  from  that  quarter, 
'y  and  to  have  kept  its  place  through  all  subsequent 

changes  among  the  superstitions  of  their  descend-   *♦ 
ants. 

"  Their  notions  of  a  deity,"  he  continues,  "  and 
the  speculative  parts  of  their  religion,  are  involved  * 
*  s  even  among  themselves  in  mystery,  and  perplexed 
with  inconsistencies ;  and  their  priests,  who  alone 
pretend  to  be  hUbrmed  of  it,  have,  by  their  own  in- 
dustrious fabrications  and  the  addition  of  its  tradi- 
tionary fables,  shut  themselves  up  in  endless  mazes 
of  inextricable  labyrinths.  None  of  them  act  ahke 
•  in  their  ceremonies,  and  none  of  them  narrate  alike 
when  inquired  of  concerning  the  matter  ;  therefore, 
what  they  conceive  respecting  a  God  we  cannot 
tell ;  though  we  conclude  upon  the  whole  that  they 
worship  one  great  Supreme,  the  author  and  governor 
of  all  things  ;  but  there  seems  to  be  such  a  string  of 
subordinate  gods  intervening  between  him  and  the 
least  of  those,  and  the  characters  of  the  whole  so 
contrasting,  whimsical,  absurd,  and  ridiculous,  that 
their  mythology  is  very  droll,  and  represents  the  best 
of  the  group  no  better  than  a  harlequ'iR. 

"The  government  of  Otaheite  resembles  the 
early  conditon  of  every  government,  which,  in  an 
unimproved  and  unrefined  state,  is  ever  a  kind  of 
feudal  system  of  subordination,  securing  licentious 
liberty  to  a  few,  and  a  dependant  servility  to  the 


LITE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


63 


Society  Islands,  whom  Cook  had  taken  with  him  to 
England  on  a  former  voyage,  and  who  had  received 
every  possible  advantage  for  becoming  acquainted 
with  the  habits,  arts,  and  enjoyments  of  civilized  life, 
the  reader  may  be  curious  to  know  in  what  manner 
he  demeaned  himself  when  he  returned  to  his  native 
country,  and  what  were  the  prospects  of  his  being 
benefited  by  his  acquisitions  and  experience.  Ir 
this  case,  as  in  many  others,  it  will  be  seen,  that  the 
attempt  to  enlighten  the  ignorance  and  change  the 
character  of  the  savage  was  unsuccessful.  On  land- 
ing at  Otaheite,  says  Ledyard,  "  we  had  a  number 
of  visiters,  among  whom  was  a  sister  of  Omai,  who 
came  to  welcome  her  brother  to  his  native  country 
again  ;  Init  the  behaviour  of  Omai  on  that  occasion 
was  consonant  to  his  proud,  empty,  ambitious  heart, 
and  he  refused  at  first  to  own  her  for  his  sister  ;  the 
reason  of  which  was,  her  being  a  poor  obscure  girl, 
and  as  he  expected  to  be  nothing  but  king,  the  con- 
nexion would  disgrace  him."  In  a  few  days  the 
vessels  sailed  over  to  Hueheine,  the  native  island  of 
Omai,  at  which  he  was  finally  to  be  left.  Here  a 
small  house  was  built  for  him,  in  which  his  effects 
were  deposited.  About  an  acre  of  ground  adjoining 
the  house  was  purchased  of  the  natives,  surrounded 
with  a  ditch,  and  converted  into  a  garden,  in  which 
various  European  seeds  were  planted.  Scleral  of 
the  live  animals,  brought  from  England,  were  also 
put  on  shore,  and  left  under  his  charge. 

"  When  ready  to  sail.  Captain  Cook  made  an 
entertainment  on  behalf  of  Omai  at  his  little  house, 
and  in  order  to  recommend  him  still  ftirther  to  the 
chiefs  of  the  island,  he  invited  them  also.  Every 
body  enjoyed  himself  but  Omai,  who  became  more 
dejected  as  the  time  of  his  taking  leave  of  us  for  ever 


^- 


}f 


I 


m 


'  '■'.■% .  y "'!!?'.")*nr..^,^k.»/.\Ai'i,  ,<^p/'-k . 


64 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


approached ;  and  when  he  came  finally  to  bid 
adieu,  the  scene  was  very  affecting  to  the  whole 
company.  It  is  certainly  to  be  regretted,  that  Omai 
will  never  be  of  any  service  to  his  country  by  his 
travels,  but  perhaps  will  render  his  countrymen,  and 
himself  too,  the  more  unhappy." 

The  subsequent  fate  of  Omai  is  not  known,  but 
had  his  knowledge,  his  efforts,  or  his  example  pro- 
duced any  valuable  effects  in  his  native  island,  the 
monuments  of  them  would  have  been  obvious  to 
future  voyagers.  There  has  never  been  a  more  idle 
scheme  of  philanthropy,  than  that  of  converting  a 
savage  into  a  civilized  man.  No  one  attempt,  it  is 
believed,  has  ever  been  successful.  Even  Sampson 
Occum,  before  'his  death,  relapsed  into  some  of  the 
worst  habits  of  his  tribe,- and  no  Notth  American 
Indian  of  unmixed  blood,  whatever  pains  may  have 
been  taken  with  his  education,  has  been  known  to 
adopt  the  manners  of  civilized  men,  or  to  pass  his 
life  among  them.  The  reason  is  sufficiently  plain, 
without  resorting  to  natural  instinct.  In  a  civilized 
community,  a  man  who  has  been  a  savage,  must 
always  feel  himself  inferior  to  those  around  him  ; 
this  feeling  will  drive  him  to  his  native  woods,  where 
he  can  claim  and  maintain  an  equality  with  his  asso- 
ciates. This  is  the  universal  sentiment  of  nature, 
and  none  but  a  slave  can  be  without  it.  When  a 
man  lives  with  savages,  he  will  assume  the  habits  of 
a  savage,  the  light  of  education  will  be  extinguished, 
and  his  mind  and  his  moral  sense  will  soon  adapt 
themselves  to  his  condition. 

The  vessels  at  length  departed  from  the  Society 
Islands,  and  took  a  northerly  course,  with  the  inten- 
tion of  falling  in  with  the  coast  of  America,  at  about 
the  fortieth  degree  of  north  latitude.     After  sailing 


/    ^ 


\  ■" 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


05 


six  weeks,  withoi.  approaching  any  other  land,  than 
an  uninhabited  island,  consisting  chiefly  of  a  bed  of 
coral  rocks,  and  abounding  in  turtle  of  a  fine  quality, 
the  mariners  were  greeted  with  a  view  of  high  land 
at  a  distance,  which  was  not  marked  on  the  charts. 
It  proved  to  be  a  new  discovery,  and  was  one  of  the 
group  of  islands,  named  afterwards  by  Cook  the 
Sandwich  Islands.  A  safe  harbor  was  found  and 
entered,  in  which  the  vessels  were  no  sooner  anchor- 
ed, than  they  were  surrounded  by  canoes  filled  with 
the  natives,  who  regarded  the  new  comers  with 
inexpressible  surprise,  though  not  with  apparent  fear. 
A  source  of  astonishment  to  the  navigators  was,  that 
the  people  should  speak  a  language  differing  but 
little  from  those  of  the  Society  Islands  and  New 
Zealand,  which  were  distant,  the  first  nearly  three 
thousand,  and  the  other  four  thousand  miles,  with 
an  ocean  intervening.  The  wide  extent  of  the 
Polynesian  dialects  was  not  then  known.  Although 
very  shy  at  first,  the  natives  were  not  long  in  sum- 
moning courage  to  go  on  board.  They  looked  with 
wonder  upon  the  objects  around  them,  examined  the 
hands,  faces,  and  clothes  of  the  sailors,  and  inquired 
if  they  could  eat.  When  satisfied  on  this  head,  by 
seeing  them  devour  dry  biscuit,  the  simple  islanders 
were  eager  to  show  their  hospitaUty,  and  presented 
them  with  pigs,  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  and  plantains, 
thus  verifying  a  declaration  of  Ledyard  on  another 
occasion,  that  "  all  uncivilized  men  are  hospita})le." 
A  friendly  intercourse  was  established,  and  provis- 
ions were  given  in  barter  for  old  iron,  nails,  and  other 
articles  of  little  intrinsic  value,  but  ir  iportant  to  tlie 
natives. 

Cook  remained  ten  days  only  at  these  islands,  and 
then  sailed  for  the  American  coast,  intending  to  visit 
6* 


#*■ 


jgi^ 


I'll 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYAIRD. 

them  again  on  his  return  from  the  i.  v.ri  »n  tho  fol- 
Jowing  winter.  It  was  now  the  first  of  February, 
and  no  time  was  to  be  lost  in  hastening  his  voyae^e 
to  the  northward,  for  his  plan  was  to  proceed  along 
the  American  shore,  and  run  through  Bering's 
Strait,  so  us  to  explore  the  polar  latitudes  at  the  proper 
season.  Without  any  remarkable  accident  or  ad- 
venture he  reached  the  continent,  and  anchored  in 
Nootka  Sound.  This  is  an  extraordinary  bay,  ex- 
tending several  leagues  into  the  country,  and  com- 
pletely land-locked.  On  the  first  night  the  ships 
were  anchored  in  water  nearly  five  hundred  feet 
deep,  and  in  other  parts  it  was  more  than  six  hun- 
dred. A  convenient  harbor  was  found  the  next  day. 
The  bay  is  surrounded  by  lofty  hills,  and  the  shore 
is  so  bold,  that  the  ships  were  secured  by  ropes  fast- 
ened to  trees. 

Our  wanderer  was  now  on  his  native  continent, 
and  although  more  than  three  thousand  miles  from 
the  place  of  his  birth,  yet  he  could  not  resist  the 
sensations  kindled  by  the  remembrance  of  home. 
All  the  deep  emotions,  says  he,  "  incident  to  natural 
attachments  and  early  prejudices  played  around  my 
heart,  and  I  indulged  them."  The  feeling  was 
spontaneous  an4  genuine.  Ledyard  saw  in  the  in- 
habitants, likewise,  indications  of  an  affinity  between 
them  and  the  Indians,  whom  he  had  visited  in  his 
native  country.  In  all  his  travels  he  manifests  a 
remarkable  acuteness  in  observing  the  human  char- 
acter in  its  various  gradations  of  improvement,  and 
particularly  in  detecting  resemblances  between  un- 
civilized people  of  difl!ferent  regions.  Whether 
among  the  South  Sea  Islands,  on  the  Northwest 
Coast  of  America,  in  Kamtschajka,  Siberia,  or 
Egypt,  remarks  of  this  sort  escape  him  continually. 


■■■■T 


\ 


^BglW^lNIi^ 


. -  iiii&.-«r.-:-      ■      I irtte' ■■: -ij  |i]ffifr|daiyi}nf  1 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARO.  '-    M 

He  seems  to  have  had  in  his  mind  a  scale  upon 
which  he  graduated  the  nations  of  men,  and  which 
he  studied  so  carefully,  that  he  could  assign  to  each 
its  proper  place.  His  observations  were  not  restrict- 
ed to  one  class  of  qualities  or  circumstances,  but 
they  extended  to  all  that  constitute  individual  and 
national  peculiarities,  to  the  intellect,  physical  char- 
acteristics, modes  of  living,  dress,  warlike  imple- 
ments, habitations,  furniture,  government,  religion, 
social  state,  and  domestic  habits.  Nor  was  he 
merely  observing  and  inquisitive ;  he  was  addicted 
to  thought  and  reflection.  His  theories  were  raised 
on  the  basis  of  facts ;  his  results  were  sustained  by 
reasons,  satisfactory  at  least  to  himself.  He  was 
fond  of  pursuing  analogies,  especially  in  regard  to 
the  origin,  customs,  and  characters  of  the  various 
races  of  men  ;  and  here  the  wide  compass  of  his  in- 
quiries supplied  him  with  so  many  materials  not 
accessible  to  others,  that  he  sometimes  came  to  con- 
clusions less  obvious  to  those  who  follow  him,  than 
they  were  to  his  own  mind.  His  description  of  the 
people  of  Nootka  is  here  inserted. 

"  I  had  no  sooner  beheld  these  Americans,  than  I 
set  them  down  for  the  same  kind  of  people,  that 
inhabit  the  opposite  side  of  the  continent.  They 
are  rather  above  the  middle  stature,  copper-colored, 
and  of  an  athJetic  make.  They  have  long  black 
hair,  which  they  generally  wear  in  a  club  on  the  top 
of  the  head ;  they  fill  it,  when  dresssed,  with  oil, 
paint,  and  the  down  of  birds.  They  also  paint  their 
faces  with  red,  blue,  and  white  colors,  but  from 
whence  they  had  them,  or  how  they  were  prepared, 
they  would  not  inform  us,  nor  could  we  tell.  Their 
clothing  generally  consists  of  skins,  but  they  have 
two  other  sorts  of  garments ;  the  one  is  made  of  the 


«f»*«»»«»  -u 


-  r  '•(f?7."^v^ 


/  „-,.. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


inner  rind  of  some  sort  of  bark,  twisted  and  united 
together  like  the  woof  of  our  coarse  cloths;  the 
other  very  strongly  resembles  the  New  Zealand 
iogUf  and  is  also  principally  made  witi;  the  hair  of 
theu'  dogs,  which  are  mostly  white  and  of  the  do- 
mestic kind.  Upon  this  garment  is  displayed,  very 
well  executed,  the  manner  of  their  catching  the 
whale ;  we  saw  nothing  so  well  done  by  a  savage  in 
our  travels.  Their  garments  of  all  kinds  are  worn 
mantlewise,  and  the  borders  of  them  are. fringed,  or 
terminated  with  some  particular  kind  of  ornament. 
Their  richest  skins,  when  converted  to  garments,  are 
edgpd  with  a  great  curiosity.  This  is  nothing  less, 
than  the  very  species  of  wampum^  so  well  known  on 
the  opposite  side  of  the  continent.-  It  is  identically 
the  same  ;  and  this  wampum  was  not  only  found 
among  all  the  Aborigines  we  saw  on  this  side  of  the 
continent,  but  even  exists  unmutilated  on  the  oppo- 
site coasts  of  North  Asia.  We  saw  them  make  use 
of  no  coverings  to  their  feet  or  legs,  and  it  was  sel- 
dom they  covered  their  heads.  When  they  did,  it 
was  with  a  kind  of  a  basket  covering,  made  after  the 
manner  and  form  of  the  Chinese  and  Chinese  Tar- 
tars' hats.  Their  language  is  very  guttural,  and  if 
it  were  possible  to  reduce  it  to  our  orthography,  it 
would  very  much  abound  with  consonants.  In  their 
manners  they  resemble  the  other  Aborigines  of 
North  America.  They  are  bold  and  ferocious, 
sly  and  reserved,  not  easily  provoked,  but  revenge- 
ful ;  we  saw  no  signs  of  religion  or  worship  among 
them,  and  if  they  sacrifice,  it  is  to  the  god  of  lib- 
erty." 

The  fact  here  stated,  respecting  wampum,  is  curi- 
ous, and  confirms  a  remark  of  the  author  that  the 
difiusive  power  of  commerce  extended  at  tliat  time 


lA''/ 


".— '\.-S 


■'-"V"  T  -"  f1^'- , 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


69 


throughout  the  whole  contiheht  of  North  America. 
"  Nothing,"  says  he,  "  can  impede  the  progress  of 
commerce  among  the  uninformed  part  of  mankind, 
but  an  intervention  of  too  remote  a  commimication 
by  water."  Civilized  nations  may  impose  restric- 
tions, or  adopt  regulations,  under  the  name  of  pro- 
tecting laws,  and  thereby  embarrass  commerce,  but 
when  left  free  to  move  in  its  own  channels,  there  is 
no  obscure  nook  of  human  society,  which  it  will  not 
pervade.  Ledyard  discovered,  among  the  natives 
on  the  Northwest  coast,  copper  bracelets  and  knives, 
which  could  only  have  come  to  them  across  the  con- 
tinent from  Hudson's  Bay.  Clapperton  found  arti- 
cles of  English  manufacture  in  the  heart  of  Africa  ; 
and  the  Russian  embassy  to  Bukaria  met  with 
others  from  the  same  source  in  central  Asia.  The 
wampum  of  the  North  American  Indians  has  been 
an  article  of  traffic,  and  probably  passed  as  a  kind 
of  currency  among  all  tiie  tribes  from  time  imme- 
morial. 

Ledyard's  views  of  the  commercial  resources  of 
Nootka  Sound,  and  other  parts  of  the  Northwest 
Coast,  must  not  be  overlooked  in  this  place,  because 
they  were  the  foundation  of  many  important  suc- 
ceeding events  of  his  fife,  in  suggesting  to  him  the 
benefits  of  a  trafficking  voyage  to  that  coaSt.  It  will 
be  seen  hereafter,  that  he  was  the  first,  whether  in 
Europe  or  America,  to  propose  such  a  voyage  as  a 
mercantile  enterprise,  and  that  he  persevered  against 
numerous  obstacles  for  several  years,  though  with 
fruitless  endeavors,  to  accomplish  his  object.  The 
furs,  purchased  of  the  natives  for  a  mere  trifle,  were 
sold  in  China  at  an  enormus  advance,  which  had 
not  been  anticipated,  but  which  gave  ample  proof  of 
the  advantages  of  such  a  commerce,  undertaken 


'    I 


il 


■r. !. 


r- 


S,,-' 


Id 


I 


V 


I 


f^ 


70 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


upon  a  large  scale.  After  enumerating  some  of  the 
productions  of  the  soil,  he  adds,  "  The  light  in  which 
this  country  will  appear  most  to  advantage  respects 
the  variety  of  its  animals,  and  the  richness  of  theur 
furs.  They  have  foxes,  sables,  hares,  marmosets, 
ermines,  weazles,  bears,  wolves,  deer,  moose,  dogs, 
otters,  beavers,  and  a  species  of  weazle  called  the 
glutton.  The  skin  of  this  animal  was  sold  at  Kamt- 
schatka,  a  Russian  factory  on  the  Asiatic  coast,  for 
sixty  rubles,  which  is  near  twelve  guineas,  and  had 
it  been  sold  in  China,  it  would  have  been  worth  thirty 
guineas.  We  purchased  while  here  about  fifteen 
hundred  beaver,  besides  other  skins,  but  took  none 
but  the  best,  having  no  thoughts  at  that  time  of  using 
them  to  any  other  advantage,  than  converting  them 
to  the  purposes  of  clothing  j  but  it  afterwards  hap- 
pened that  skins,  which  did  not  cost  the  purchaser 
sixpence  sterling,  sold  in  China  for  one  hundred  dol- 
lars. Neither  did  we  purchase  a  quarter  part  of 
the  beaver  and  other  fur  skins  we  might  have  done, 
and  most  certainly  should  have  done,  had  we  known 
of  meeting  the  opportunity  of  disposing  of  them  ttf 
such  an  astonishing  profit." 

At  Nootka  Sound,  and  at  the  Sandwich  Islands, 
Ledyard  witnessed  instances  of  cannibahsm.  In 
both  places  he  saw  human  flesh  prepared  for  food, 
but  on  one  occasion  only  at  each  ;  for,  he  says,  the 
sailors  expressed  such  a  horror  at  the  sight,  that  the 
natives  never  ventured  to  repeat  the  act  in  their 
presence.  In  this  part  of  his  narrative  he  makes  a 
digression  on  sacrifices,  which  I  shall  quote,  not  so 
much  for  its  originality,  or  the  conclusiveness  of  its 
reasoning,  as  to  show  his  manner  of  considering  the 
subject.  His  notion  is,  that  cannibalism,  or  the  cus- 
tom of  eating  human  flesh,  which  has  by  no  means 


<\ 


\ 


'■"•'■''."'Mf*' 


m^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


been  uncommon  among  savage  tribes,  had  its  origin 
in  the  custom  of  sacrificing  human  victims.  There 
is  good  evidence,  that  other  tribes  of  North  Ameri- 
can Indians,  besides  those  at  Nootka,  have  been 
cannibals,  if  they  are  not  so  even  at  the  present  day. 
There  was  a  time,  when  some  philanthropists  pro- 
fessed to  doubt  the  existence  of  this  habit,  so  shock- 
ing to  humanity,  but  the  mass  of  testimony  brought 
to  light  since  Cook's  first  voyage  is  such,  as  to  con- 
quer the  most  obstinate  reluctance  to  conviction. 
Let  the  skeptic  look  at  New  Zea.  ind,  and  cease  to 
doubt. 

"  The  custom  of  sacrificing  is  very  ancient. 
The  first  instance  we  have  of  it  is  in  the  lives  of 
Cain  and  Abel.  Their  sacrifices  consisted  in  part 
of  animal  flesh,  burnt  upon  an  altar  dedicated  to 
God.  This  custom  exists  now  among  all  the  un- 
civilized and  Jewish  nations,  in  the  essential  rites 
requisite  to  prove  it  analogous  to  the  first  institu- 
tion. The  only  material  change  in  the  ceremony 
is,  that  the  barbarous  nations  have  added  human 
flesh.  Whether  this  additional  ingredient  in  the 
oblation  took  place  at  a  remote  subsequent  period, 
by  the  antecedent  intervention  of  any  extraordinary 
circumstance  independent  of  the  original  form,  does 
not  appear,  unless  we  place  the  subsequent  period 
below  the  time  of  Abraham,  •  ■  perhaps  below  the 
time  of  Jephthah.  The  circumucance  of  Abraham's 
intended  sacrifice  of  Isaac,  to  v/hich  he  was  enjoin- 
ed by  the  Deity,  though  he  absolutely  did  not  do  it, 
yet  was  sufficient  to  intrc  Ince  the  idea,  that  such  a 
sacrifice  was  the  most  pleasing  to  God,  and  as  it  was 
an  event  very  remarkable,  it  probably  became  an 
historical  subject,  and  went  abroad  among  other 
tribes,  and  was  handed  do*,?;n  among  them  by  tradi- 


# 


:  ! 


■i^ 


::A.. 


.12 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


j 


tion,  and  liable  to  all  the  changes  incident  thereto  ; 
and  in  time  the  story  might  have  been,  that  Abra- 
ham not  only  offered,  but  really  did  sacrifice  his 
own  son.  But  perhaps  the  story  of  Jephthah,  judge 
of  Israel,  is  more  to  the  point.  It  is  said  he  sacri- 
ficed his  daughter  as  a  burnt  offering  to  the  god, 
who  had  been  propitious  to  him  in  war  ;  which  does 
appear  to  be  an  act  independent  of  custom,  or  tra- 
dition, as  it  was  performed  wholly  from  the  obliga- 
tions of  a  rash  vow,  made  to  the  deity  in  the  fulness 
of  a  heart  surcharged  with  hopes  and  fears.  It  is 
also  a  fact,  that  after  this,  particularly  in  the  reign 
of  the  wicked  Ahaz,  it  was  a  general  custom,  es- 
pecially among  the  heathen,  to  make  their  children 
*  pass  through  the  fire  ; '  by  which  I  suppose  it  is 
understood,  that  they  were  sacrificed  with  fire. 

"  It  seems,  then,  that  the  circumstance  of  adding 
human  flesh  in  the  ceremony  of  sacrificing,  did  take 
place  in  the  years  antecedent  to  Christ,  and  most 
probably  from  the  example  of  Jepthah.  After  this 
we  find  it  shifting  places,  attending  the  diffusive 
emigrations  of  the  tribes,  and  commixing  with  man- 
kind in  general,  but  especially  with  those  disunited 
from  the  chosen  descendants  of  the  great  Abraham  ; 
whose  descendants,  being  constantly  favored  with 
civil  and  religious  instrucnons  from  Heaven  itself, 
were  not  only  preserved  from  superstition  and  bar- 
barity themselves,  but  were  the  means  of  furnishing 
the  detached  heathen  with  a  variety  of  customs  and 
ceremonies,  that  from  the  mere  light  of  nature  they 
never  could  have  thought  of ;  nor  could  they  pre- 
serve them  pure  and  uncorrupt  after  they  had  adopt- 
ed them.  Even  the  favored  Israelites  were  perpet- 
ually deviating  into  schisms  and  cabals,  and  frequent- 
ly into  downright  idolatry,  and  all  the  vanity  of  su- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


It  thereto ; 
!iat  Abra- 
irifice  his 
»ah,  judge 
he  sacri- 
the  god, 
hich  does 
n,  or  tra- 
le  obliga- 
le  fulness 
rs.     It  is 
he  reign 
torn,   es- 
children 


f  adding 
did  take 
id  most 
iter  this 
iifFusive 
th  man- 
isunited 
raham  ; 
with 
n  itself, 
id  bar- 
nishing 
Bs  and 
•e  they 
!y  pre-  ■ 
adopt- 
>erpet- 
quent- 
of  su- 


7^ 


perstition  and  unbridled  nonsense,  from  the  imbecil- 
ity of  human  policy,  when  uninfluenced  by  heavenly 
wisdom  and  jurisprudence.      No  wonder  then,  that 
the  separate  tribes  from   the  house  of  Abraham, 
though  they  primarily  received  many  of  their  prin- 
ciples of  civil  and  religious  government  from  a  pure 
fountain,  should  debase  and  contaminate  them  by 
the  spurious  conjunction  of  things  derived  from  their 
own  imaginations.     And  this  seems  to  have  been 
the  course  of  things  to  this  day.     There  hath  al- 
ways  been   a   part   of   mankind    conspicuous   for 
knowledge,   superior   in   wisdom,  and  favored    by 
Heaven,  from  whom  others  are  separated ;  and  these, 
like  the  moon,  have  only  shone  with  borrowed  hght. 
Some  customs  may  be  local  and  indigenous  to  par- 
ticular times  and  circumstances,  both  in  the  civilized 
and  uncivilized  world,  but  far  the  greater  part  are 
derivative,  and  were  originally  bestowed  on  man  by 
his  supreme  Governor ;  those  that  we  find  among 
the  civilized  and  wise,  measured  on  a  philosophic 
scale,  are  uncorruptcJ,  while  those  that  we  find  ex- 
isting in  parts  remote  from  civilization  and  knowl- 
edge, though  they  have  a  resemblance  which  plainly 
intimates  from  whence  they  came,  are  yet  debased, 
mutilated,  and  by  some  liardly  known.     But  who, 
that  had  seen  a  human  Dody  sacrificed  at  Otaheite 
to  their  god  of  war,  would  not  perceive  an  analogy 
to  ancient  custoiii  on  those  occasions,  and  attribute 
it  rather  to  such  custom,  than  to  any  other  cause 
whatever.      And  the  custom  is  not  confined  to  Ota- 
heite alone ;  it  pervades  the  islands  throughout  the 
Pacific  Ocean.     It  was  the  case  with  the  ancient 
Britons.     The  Mexicans  depopulated  society  by  this 
carnivorous  species  of  sacrifice.     This  could  not  be 
the  effect  of  accident,  want,  or  caprice.     It  may  be 
7  t 


'?•*§ 

>     <    i 


,.',:■  ?■! 
1  -'  ■ ' 


^  ■    .1 


I"  l>  ** ' 


( 


\\f. 


% 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYAllD. 


Tvorthy  of  notice  to  remark  furthermore,  that  iti  th6 
time  of  Ahaz,  these  sacrifices  were  made  in  high 
places.  It  was  so  in  Mexico,  and  is  so  at  Otaheite 
and  other  islands.  The  Mexicans  flung  their  vic- 
tims from  the  top  of  their  temple,  dedicated  to  their 
god  of  war.  The  Otaheitans  and  the  other  island- 
ers prepare  those  oblations  on  their  Morais.** 

Captain  Cook  remained  a  few  days  only  at  Nobt- 
ka  Sound,  and  then  sailed  northward,  coasting  along 
the  American  shore,  and  making  various  geograph- 
ical discoveries,  till  he  came  to  Bering's  Straits,  which 
^  separates  Asia  from  America.     In  passing  through 
ihis  Strait,  Ledyard  says,  both  continents  were  dis- 
tinctly seen  at  the  same  'one.     Cook  traversed  the 
polar  seas  in  the  month  of  August,  as  far  north  as 
the  ice  would  permit,  in  search  of  a  northwest  pas- 
sage, but  without  success.     As  the  season tidvanced, 
V,  he  returned  to  the  south,  intending  to  renew  his  at- 
^  tempts  the  next  year.  *^ 

Few  occurrences   are   recorded  in  the  voyage 
,  back  to  the  Sandwich  Islands.     There  is  one,  how- 
r  ever,  which  merits  particular  attention  in  this  narra- 
,  live,  since   our  hero  was   the   chief  actor.     The 
adventure  is  mentioned  in  Cook's  Voyages,  and  by 
Captain  Burney,  as  higt^y  creditable' tb  the  enter- 
prise and  discretion  of  Ledyard.     It  happened  at 
the  island  of  Onalaska,  on  the  Noilhwest  Coast. 
Ledyard  himself  wrote  a  particular  description  of 
it,  which  hardly  admits  of  abridgment,  and  which 
may  best  be  given,  therefore,  in  his  own  words.      ' 
"  I  have  before  observed,  that  we  had  noticed 
many  appearances  to  the  eastward  of  this,  as  far 
almost  as   Sandwich  Sound,  of  an  European  inter- 
course, and  that  ve  had  at  this  island  in  particular 
met  with    circumstances,  that  did  not  only  indicate 


// 


*■  •*-5Wr»«.- ■ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


75 


such  an  intercourse,  but  seemed  strongly  to  intimate, 
that  some  Europeans  were  actually  somewhere  on 
the  spot.  The  appearances  that  led  to  these  con- 
jectures were  such  as  these.  We  found  among  the 
inhabitants  of  this  island  two  different  kinds  of  peo- 
ple, the  one  we  knew  to  be  the  Aborigines  of  Amer- 
ica, while  we  supposed  the  others  to  come  from  the 
opposite  coasts  of  Asia.  There  were  two  different 
dialects  also  observed,  and  we  found  them  fond  of 
tobacco,  rum,  and  snuff.  Tobacco  we  even  found 
them  possessed  of,  and  we  observed  several  blue 
linen  shirts  and  drawers  among  them.  But  tiie 
most  remarkable  circumstance  was  a  cake  of  rye- 
meal  newly  baked,  with  a  piece  of  salmon  in  it, 
seasoned  with  pepper  and  salt,  which  was  brought 
and  presented  to  Cook  by  a  comely  young  chief, 
attended  by  two  of  those  Indians,  whom  we  suppos- 
ed to  be  Asiatics.  The  chief  seemed  anxious  to 
explain  to  Cook  the  meaning  of  the  present,  and  the 
purport  of  his  visit ;  and  he  was  so  far  successful  as 
to  persuade  him,  that  there  were  some  strangers  in 
the  country,  who  were  white,  and  had  come  over 
the  great  watelrs  in  a  vessel  somewhat  like  ours,  and 
though  not  so  large,  was  yet  much  larger  than 
theirs. 

"  In  consequence  of  this.  Cook  was  determined 
to  explore  the  island.  It  was  difficult,  however,  to 
fix  upon  a  plan  that  would  at  once  answer  the  pur- 
poses of  safety  and  expedition.  An  armed  body 
would  proceed  slowl) ,  and  if  they  should  be  cut  off 
by  the  Indians,  the  loss  in  our  preseni  circumstances 
would  be  irreparable  ;  and  a  single  person  would  en- 
tirely risk  his  life,  though  he  would  be  much  more 
expeditious  if  unmolested,  and  if  he  should  be  killed 
the  loss  would  be  only  one.     The  latter  seemed  the 


'M^ 


..'y.^M^*-. 


.-\  «.... »^  , 


76 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTaMK^ 


best,  but  it  was  extremely  hard  to  single  out  an  in- 
dividual, and  command  him  to  go  upon  such  an 
expedition  ;  and  it  was  therefore  thought  proper  to 
send  a  volunteer,  or  none.  I  was  at  this  time, 
and  indeed  ever  after,  an  intimate  friend  of  John 
Gore,  first  lieutenant  of  the  Resolution,  a  native 
of  America  as  well  as  myself,  and  superior  to  me  in 
command.  He  recommended  me  to  Captain  Cook 
to  undertake  the  expedition,  with  which  I  imme- 
diately acquiesced.*     Captain  Cook  assured   me, 


m 


*  The  following  biograpliical  sketch  has  been  furnished  from  a 
source  wiiich  gives  it  a  claim  to  confidence. 

Captain  John  Gore  was  born  about  the  year  1730,  in  the  Colony 
of  Virginia.  It  may  be  reasonably  inferred,  that  he  was  brought 
up  to  the  sea,  as  he  served  a  long  time  on  board  the  Windsor 
man-of-war,  during  the  contest  which  preceded  the  American 
Revolution.  In  the  successive  voyages  of  the  Dolphin,  imder 
Byron  and  VVallis,  he  served  as  a  master's  mate,  and  on  his  return 
to  England  with  the  latter,  vas  promoted  to  a  lieutenancy.  The 
Endeavour  was  then  preparrig  for  a  similar  expedition,  and  having 
been  appointed  her  second  ikutenant,  he  accompanied  Captain 
Cook  in  his  first  voyage  ror.nd  the  world.  In  the  following  year, 
1772,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  merchant-ship,  which 
had  been  engaged  by  Sir  Joseph  Banks  for  the  purpose  of  visiting 
^  Iceland  and  the  Hebrides ;  and  did  not  return  again  until  after  the 

w  departure  of  the  Resolution  and  Adventure. 

In  the  last  voyage  of  Captain  Cook,  he  served  as  first  lieuten- 
ant of  the  Resolution,  and  on  the  death  of  the  navigator,  and  of 
Captain  Clerke,  he  respectively  succeeded  to  the  captaincy  of  the 
Discovery,  and  to  the  chief  command.  On  his  arrival  in  England, 
he  was  immediately  promoted  to  the  rank  of  Post  Capteiin,  and 
shortly  after  to  the  station  in  Greenwich  Hospiidl,  which  was  to 
have  been  resumed  by  Captain  Cook,  in  the  6venl  of  his  having 
returned.  He  remained  in  this  honorable  retirement  till  his  death, 
which  is  recorded  in  a  publication  of  the  time,  in  the  following 
words. 
'  "August  10,  1790 — At  his  apartments  in  Greenwich  Hospital, 

sincerely  regretted  by  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 
Captain  John  Gore,  one  of  the  Captains  of  Greenwich  Hospital,  a 
most  experienced  seaman,  and  an  honor  to  his  profession.  He 
had  sailed  four  times  round  the  world  \.  first  with  Commodore  By- 
ron ;  secondly,  with  Captain  Wallis,  and  the  two  last  times  with 
Captain  James  Cook."  -  .-•■^/  -  .'- 


^  r- 


„....>,  /■..,.  .4 


•■>«  »•■  •     ••■-.f 


>"V...,^„..,,.,. 


►  .i'-- 


IiIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARP. 


77 


that  he  was  happy  I  had  undertaken  it,  as  he  was 
convinced  I  should  persevere ;  and  after  giving  me 
some  instructions  how  to  proceed,  he  wished  me 
well,  and  desired  I  would  not  be  longer  absent  than 
a  week  if  possible,  9X  the  expiration  of  which  he 
should  expect  me  to  return.  If  I  did  not  return  by 
that  time,  he  should  wait  another  week  for  me,  and 
no  longer.  The  young  chief  before-mentioned,  and 
his  two  attendants,  were  to  be  my  guides.  I  took 
with  me  some  presents  adapted  to  the  taste  of  the 
Indians,  brandy  in  bottles,  and  bread,  but  no  other 
provisions.  I  went  entirely  unarmed,  by  the  advice 
of  Captain  Cook.  The  first  day  we  proceeded 
about  fifteen  miles  into  the  interior  part  of  the  island 
without  any  remarkable  occurrence,  until  we  ap- 
proached a  village  just  before  night.  This  village 
consisted  of  about  thirty  huts,  some  of  them  large 
and  spacious,  though  not  very  high.  The  huts  are 
composed  of  a  kind  of  slight  fraine,  erected  over  a 
square  hole  sunk  about  four  feet  into  the  ground  ; 
the  frame  is  covered  at  the  bottom  with  turf,  and 
upwards  it  is  thatched  with  coarse  grass ;  the 
whole  village  was  out  to  see  us,  and  men,  women, 
and  children  crowded  about  me.  I  was  conducted 
by  the  young  chief,  who  was  my  guide,  and  seeme,d 

In  the  theoretical  attainments  of  his  profession,  Captain  Gore 
may  have  been  equalled  by  many,  but  as  a  practical  navigator  he 
was  surpassed  by  none.  As  an  oflBcer,  he  appears  to  have  olended 
a  proper  degree  of  prudence  with  the  most  unshaken  intrepidity  ; 
and  his  illustrious  comn-ander  declares,  that  he  ever  reposed  the 
fullest  confidence  in  his  diligence  and  ability.  In  his  vhsposition 
he  was  benevolent ;  and  his  generosity  (as  is  remarked  by  Captain 
King)  was  manifested  on  all  occaMons.  But  the  character  of  a 
"  very  worthy  man,"  ascribed  to  him  by  Van  Troil,  in  his  letters 
on  Iceland,  will  comprise  the  enumeration  of  his  virtues. 

Of  his  particular  kindness  and  attention  to  his  countrymen,  we 
have  a  striking  proof  in  the  case  oH  T'<)dyard.  f 

7* 


m^ 


78 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


'*" 


proud  and  assiiiuous  to  serve  mo,  into  one  of  itie 
largest  huts.  I  was  surprised  at  the  behaviour  it* 
the  Indians,  for  though  they  were  curious  to  see  me, 
yet  they  did  not  express  that  extraordinary  curiosity, 
tl  at  would  be  expected,  hftd  t* .  y  never  seen  an 
European- before,  and  I  wasglfi  tu  perceive  it,  as  it 
was  an  evidence  in  favor  of  what  I  wished  to  find 
true,  namely,  that  there  were  Europeans  now  among 
them.  The  women  of  the  house,  which  were  al- 
most the  only  ones  I  had  seen  at  this  island,  were 
much  more  tolerable,  than  I  expected  to  find  them ; 
one,  in  particular,  seemed  very  busy  to  please  me  ; 
to  her,  therefore,  I  made  several  presents,  with 
which  she  was  extremely  well  pleased.  As  it  was 
now  dark,  m}  young  chief  intimated  to  me,  that  we 
must  tarry  where  we  were  that  night,  and  proceed 
further  the  next  day  ;  to  which  I  very  readily  con- 
sented, being  much  fatigued.  Our  entertainment, 
the  subsequent  part  of  the  evening,  did  not  consist 
of  delicacies  or  much  variety ;  they  had  dried  fish, 
and  I  had  bread  and  spirits,  of  which  we  all  partici- 
pated. Ceremony  was  not  invited  to  the  feast,  and 
nature  presided  over  the  entertainment. 

"  At  daylight  Perpheela  (which  was  the  name  of 
iiie  young  chief  that  was  my  guide)  let  me  know 
ihat  he  was  ready  to  go  on  ;  upon  which  I  flung  off 
the  skins  I  had  slept  in,  put  on  my  shoes  and  out- 
side vest,  and  arose  to  accompany  him,  repeating 
my  presents  to  my  friendly  hosts.  We  had  hither- 
to travelled  in  a  northerly  direction,  but  now  went  to 
the  westward  and  southward.  I  was  now  so  much 
relieved  from  the  apprehension  of  any  insult  or  in- 
jury from  the  Indians,  that  my  journey  would  have 
been  even  agreeable,  had  I  not  been  taken  lame, 
with  a  swelling  in  the  feet,  which  rendered  it  ex- 


»■ 


if, 


tl 


^^H^iBi/HrSmgi'fitiii'  "'y"*'ff.'TiT?i 


i 


e  we  saw  a  canoe  ap- 

'te  side  of  the  bay,  iii 

as  my  guides  saw 

.e  from  the  hills  and 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


tremely  painful  to  walk ;  the  country  was  also  rough 
and  hilly,  and  the  weather  wet  and  cold.  About 
three  hours  before  dark  we  came  to  a  largo  bay, 
which  appeared  to  be  four  leagues  over.  Here  my 
guide,  Perpheela,  took  a  canoe  and  all  our  bapgage, 
and  set  off,  seemingly  to  cross  the  bay.  He  ap- 
peared to  leave  me  m  an  abrupt  maniiT,  and  told 
me  to  follow  the  two  attendants.  This  gave  me 
some  uneasiness.  I  now  followed  Perpheela's  two 
attendants,  keeping  the  bay  hi  view,  but  we  had  not 
gone  above  six  milr 
proaching  us  from  i 

,  which  were  two  Tndic 
the  canoe,  we  ran  t( 
hailed  them,  and  finding  Uicy  did  not  hear  us,  we 
got  some  bushes  and  waved  them  in  the  air,  which 
they  saw,  and  stood  directly  for  us.  This  canoe 
was  sent  by  Perpheela  to  bring  me  across  the  bay, 
and  shorten  the  distance  of  the  journey. 

"  It  was  beginning  to  be  dark  when  the  canoe 
came  to  us.  It  was  a  skin  canoe,  after  the  Esqui- 
maux plan,  with  two  holes  to  accommodate  two  sit- 
ters. The  Indians  that  came  in  the  canoe  talked  a 
little  with  my  two  guides,  and  then  came  to  me  and 
desired  that  I  would  get  into  the  canoe.  This  I  did 
not  very  readily  agree  to,  however,  as  there  was  no 
other  place  for  me  but  to  be  thrust  into  the  space 

,•  between  the  holes,  extended  at  length   upon  my 

■  back,  and  wholly  excluded  from  seeing  the  way  I 
went,  or  the  power  of  extricating  myself  upon  any 
emergency.  But  as  there  was  no  alternative,  I  sub- 
mitted thus  to  be  stowed  away  in  bulk,  and  went 

^  head  foremost  very  swift  through  the  water  about  an 
V    hour,  when  I  felt  the  canoe  strike  a  beach,  and  after- 

i  wards  Hfted  up  and  carried  some  distance,  and  then 


i 


1  -i.iif.. 


^.>^ 


••  l! 


-^: 


■i^jtouilllll 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


12.5 


i^|Z8   i: 

■  30    '■^^       Mil 

^  1^    III  2.2 
^    1^    112.0 

Lit 


18. 


L25  i  1.4   1 1.6 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14580 

(716)  872-4503 


A 


4?  ,.rmP 


IL 


80 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTARP. 


m 


set  down  again;  after  which  I  was  drawn  out  by  the 
shoulders  by  three  or  four  men,  for  it  was  now  so 
dark  that  I  could  not  tell  who  they  were,  though  I 
was  conscious  I  heard  a  language  Uiat  was  new.  I 
was  conducted  by  two  of  thii^ipersons,  who  appear- 
ed to  be  strangers,  about  ic^  rods,  when  I  saw 
lights,  and  a  number  of  huts  Uke  those  I  left  in  the 
morning.  As  we  approached  one  of  them,  a  door 
opened,  and  discovered  a  lamp,  by  which,  to  my  joy 
and  surprise,  I  discovered  that  ^e  two  men,  who 
held  me  by  each  arm,  were  Efiropeans,  fair  and 
comely,  and  concluded  from  their^appearance  they 
were  Russians,  which  I  soon  after  found  to  be  true. 
As  we  entered  the  hut,  which  was  particularly  long, 
I  saw,  arranged  on  each  side,  on  a  platform  of  plank, 
a  number  of  Indians,  who  all  bowed  to  me ;  and  as 
I  advanced  to  the  further  wd  of  the  hut,  there  were 
other  Russians.  When  I  reached  the  end  of  the 
room,  I  was  seated  on  a  bench  covered  with  fur 
skins,  and  as  I  was  much  fatigued,  wet,  and  cold,  I 
had  a  change  of  garments  brought  me,  consisting  of 
a  blue  silk  shirt  and  drawers,  a  fur  cap,  boots,  and 
gown,  all  which  I  put  on  with  the  same  cheerfulness 
they  were  presented  with.  Hospitality  is  a  virtue 
.'peculiar  to  man,  and  the  obligation  is  as  great  to 
i  receive  as  to  confer.  As  soon  as  I  was  rendered 
warm  and  comfortable,  a  table  was  set  before  me 
with  a  lamp  upon  it ;  all  the  Russians  in  the  house 
sat  down  round  me,  and  the  bottles  of  spirits,  tobac- 
co, snuff,  and  whatever  Perpheela  had,  were  brought 
and  set  upon  it ;  these  I  presented  to  the  company, 
intimating  that  they  were  presents  from  Commodore 
Code,  who  was  an  Englishman.  One  of  the  com- 
pany then  gave  me  to  understand,  that  all  the  white 
people  I  saw  there  were  subjects  of  the  Empress 


n 


I  ;  • 


m- 


M 


LIFE  OP  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


81 


Catherine  of  Russia,  and  rose  and  kissed  my  hand, 
the  rest  uncovering  their  heads.  I  then  informed 
them  as  well  as  I  could,  that  Commodore  Cook 
wanted  to  see  some  of  them,  and  had  sent  me  there 
to  conduct  them  to  our  ships. 

"  These  preliminaries  over,  we  had  supper,  which 
consisted  of  boiled  whale,  halibut  fried  in  oil,  and. 
broiled  sabnon.  The  latter  I  ate,  and  they  gave  me' 
rye-bread,  but  would  eat  none  of  it  themselves. 
They  were  very  fond  of  the  rum,  which  they  drank 
without  any  miscltire  or  measure.  I  had  a  very 
comfortable  bed^composed  of  different  fur  skins, 
both  under  and  over  me,  and  being  harassed  the 
preceding  day,  I  went  soon  to  rest.  After  I  had 
lam  down,  the  Russians  assembled  the  Indians  in  a 
very  silent  manner,  and  said  prayers  after  the  man- 
ner of  the  Greek  church,  which  is  much  like  the 
Roman.  I  could  not  but  observe  with  What  particu- 
lar satisfaction  the  Indians  performed  their  devobs . 
to  God,  through  the  medium  of  their  little  crucifixes, 
and  widi  what  pleasure  they  went  through  the  mul- 
titude of  ceremonies  attendant  on  that  sort  of  wor- 
ship. I  think  it  a  religion  the  best  calculated  in  the 
world  to  gain  proselytes,  when  the  people  are  either 
unwilling  or  unable  to  speculate,  or  when  they  can- 
not be  made  acquainted  with  the  history  and  princi- 
ples of  Christianity  without  a  formal  education. 

"  I  had  a  very  comfortable  night's  rest,  and  did 
not  wake  the  next  morning  until  late.  As  soon  as 
I  was  up,  I  was  conducted  to  a  hut  a  littl^  distance 
from  the  one  I  had  slept  in,  where  I  saw  a  number 
of  platforms  raised  about  three  feet  from  the  ground, 
and  covered  with  dry  coarse  grass  and  some  small 
green  bushes.  -There  were  several  of  the  Russians 
ahready  here,  besides  those  that  conducted  me,  and 


-^1 


Vf- 


I 


I 


,1 


1^  ♦•*^,„ 


■'^''llu,^ 


K-fO-"*- 


1,1 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


several  IncUans  who  were  heating  water  in  a  large 
copper  Cftldron  over  a  furnace,  the  heat  of  which, 
and  the  steam  which  evaporated  from  the  hot  water, 
rendered  the  hut,  which  was  very  tight,  extremely 
hot  and  suffocating.     I  soon  understood  this  was  a 
hot  hath,  of  which  I  was  asked  to  make  use  in  a 
friendly  manner.    The  apparatus  being  a  little  curi- 
ous, I  consented  to  it,  but  before  I  had  finished 
undressing  myself,  I  was  overcome  by  the  sudden 
change  of  the  air,  fainted  away,  and  fell  back  on  the 
platform  I  was  sitting  on.     I  wafii)  however,  soon 
relieved  by  having  cold  and  lukewttrm  water  admin- 
ki tered  to  my  face  and  different  parts  of  my  body. 
I  finished  undressing,  and  proceeded  as  I  saw  the 
rest  dO)  who  were  now  all  undressed.    The  Indians, 
who  served  us,  brought  us,  as  we  set  or  extended 
ourselves  on  the  platiformSf  water  of  different  tem- 
peratures, from  that  which  was  as  hot  as  we  could 
bear  to  quite  cold.    The  hut  .water  was  accompanied 
with  some  hard  soap  and  a  flesh-brush ;  it  was  not 
however  thrown  on  the  body  from  the  dish,  but 
sprinkled  on  with  the  green  bushes.    After  this,  the 
water  made  use  of  was  less  wann,  and  by  several 
gradations  became  at  last  quite  cold,  which  conclud- 
ed the  ceremony.    We  again  dressed  and  returned 
to  our  lodgings,  where  our  breakfast  was  smoking 
on  the  table ;  but  the  flavor  of  our  feast,  as  well  as 
its  appearance,  had  nearly  produced  a  relapse  in 
my  spirits,  and  no  doubt  would,  if  I  had  not  had  re- 
course to  some  of  the  brandy  I  had  brought,  which 
happily  saved  me.    I  was  a  good  deal,  uneasy,  lest 
the  cause  of  my  discomposure  should  disoblige  my 
friends,  who  meant  to  treat  me  in  the  best  manner 
they  could.    I  therefore  attributed  my  illness  to  the 
b&th,  which  might  possibly  have  partly  occasioned 


'^■■^"Svft-c 

*:    , 

:^^^ 

'■  ■■■  . 

0^m 

'<€:■; 

.       «-.l. 

'^*.".- 

','.  ".-,'■1  - 

.•-.  f 

.-  ■  "•* 

.(:■. 

■  ■ '       ?- 

■^   1 

,"  '■'  ■■    " 

-.r 


..r  . 


A. 


LIPE  W  JOHN  LE3)YAItD. 


83 


it,  for  I  am  not  very  subject  to  fainting.  I  coulil 
eat  none  of  the  breakfast,  however,  thougf  "far  froii 
wanting  an  appetite.  It  was  mostly  of  whale,  sea> 
horse,  and  bear,  which,  though  smoked,  dried,  and 
boiled,  produced  a  composition  of  smells  very  offen- 
sive at  nine  or  ten  in  the  morning.  I  therefore 
desired  I  might  have  a  piece  of  smoked  salmon 
broiled  dry,  which  I  ate  with  some  of  my  own  bis- 
cuit. 

"  After  breakfast  I  intended  to  set  off  on  my  re- 
turn to  the  ship8,%ough  there  came  on  a  disagreea- 
ble snow  storm.  But  my  new-found  friends  objected 
to  it,  and  gave  me'  to  understand,  that  I  should  go 
the  next  day,  and  if  I  chose,  three  of  them  would 
'accompany  me.  This  I  immediately  agreed  to,  as 
it  anticipated  a  favor  I  intended  to  ask  them,  though 
I  before  much  doubted  ^whether  they  would  comply 
with  it.  I  amused  myself  within  doors,  while  it 
snowed  without,  by  writing  down  a  few  words  of  the 
original  languages  of  the  American  Indians,  and  of 
the  Asiatics,  who  came  over  to  this  coast  with  these 
Russians  from  Kamtschatka.         -  y  ■   ' 

"  In  the  aftertRlon  the  weather  cleared  up,  and  1 
went  out  to  see  how  those  Russian  adventurers  were 
situated.  I  found  the  whole  village  to  contain  about 
thirty  huts,  all  of  which  were  built  pardy  under 
ground,'and  covered  with  turf  at  the  bottom,  and 
coarse  grass  at  the  top.  The  only  circumstance  that 
^can  recommend  them  is  their  warmth,  which  is  oc- 
casioned partly  by  their  manner  of  construction,  and 
partly  by  a  kind  of  oven,  in  which  they  constantly 
keep  a  fire  night  and  day.  They  sleep  on  platforais 
built  on  each  side  of  the  hut,  on  which  they  haVJ$% 
number  of  bear  and  other  skins,  which  render  tMim 
comfortable;  and  as  they  have  been  educated  in  a 


■''V 


u\ 


■•i..- 1 


^:k'■s 


'"%^f 


M 


LI^E  OF  JOHN  LEDTASD. 


liardy  ii^iner>  they  need  little  or  no  other  support, 
Iban  wtmrifaejr  procure  from  the  sea  and  from  hunt- 
ing; The  number  of  Russians  was  about  thirty, 
and  they  had  with  them  about  seven^  Kamtscha- 
dales,  or  Indians  from  Kamtschatka.  These,  with 
some  of  the  American  Indians,  whom  they  had 
entered  into  friendship  with,  occupied  the  lollage, 
enjoyed  every  benefit  in  common  with  the  Russians, 
and  were  converts  to  their  religion.  Such  other  of 
the  Aborigines  of  the  island,  as  h^  not  become  con- 
verts to  their  sentiments  in  religioVand  civil  matters, 
were  excluded  from  such  privileges,  and  were  pro- 
hibited from  wearing  certain  anii. 

"  I  also  found  a  small  sloop,  of  about  thirty  tons 
burthen,  lying  in  a  cove  behind  the  village,  and  a  hut 
4^  near  her^  cotataining  her  sails,  cordage,  and  other 

sea  et(uipage,  and  one  old^on  three-pounder.  It  is 
naturtd  to  an  ingenuous  mind,  when  it  enters  a  town, 
a  house,  or  ship,  that  has  been  rendered  famous  by 
any  particular  event,  to  feel  the  full  force  of  that 
pleasure,  which  results  from  gratifying  a  noble  curi- 
osi^.  I  was  no  sooner  informed,  tibat  this  sloop  was 
the  same  in  which  the  famous  B^lplg  had  performed 
those  discoveries,  which  did  him  so  much  honor, 
and  his  country  such  great  service,  than  I  was  deter- 
mined to  go  on  board  of  her,  and  indulge  the  gene- 
rous feelings  the  occasion  inspired.  I  intimated  my 
wishes  to  ^e  man  that  accompanied  me,  who  went 
back  to  the  village,  and  brought  a  canoe,  in  which 
we  went  on  board,  where  I  remained  about  an  hour, 
and  then  returned.  This  little  bark  belonged  to 
Kamtschatka,  and  came  from  thence  with  the  Asiat- 
ics ahready  mentioned,  to  tliis  island,  which  they 
called  Onalaska,  in  order  to  establish  a  pelt  and 
fur  factory.    They  had  been  here  abort  five  years, 


:<mS:- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


85 


and  go  over  to  Kamtschatka  in  her  once  a  year  to 
deliver  their  merchandise,  and  get  a  recruH  of  sucb> 
supplies  as  they  need  from  the  chief  factory  there, 
of  which  I  shall  take  further  notice  hereafter. 

"The  next  d»  I  set  off  from  this  village,  well 
satisfied  with  the  Tnappy  issue  of  a  tour,  which  was 
now  as  agreeable  as  it  was  at  first  undesirable.  I 
was  accompanied  by  three  of  the  principal  Russians, 
and  some  attendants.  We  embarked  at  the  village 
in  a  large  skin  boat,  much  like  our  large  whale- 
boats,  rowuig  willk  twelve  oars ;  and  as  we  struck 
directly  across  the  bay,  we  shortened  our  distance 
several  miles,  and  .the  next  day,  passing  the  same 
village  I  had  before  been  at,  we  arrived  by  sunset  at 
the  bay  where  the  ships  lay,  and  before  dark  I  got 
on  board  with  our  new  acquaintances.  The  satis- 
faction this  discovery  |pave  Cook,  and  the  honor 
that  redounded  to  me,  may  be  easily  imagined,  and 
the  several  conjectures  respecting  the  appearance 
of  a  foreign  intercourse  were  rectified  and  con- 
firmed." 

Such  other  researches,  as  could  be  pursued  at  that 
season,  having  been  made  at  Onalaska,  and  along 
the  coast.  Cook  left  the  continent  and  shaped  his 
course  for  the  Sandwich  Islands.  Two  months' 
sailing  brought  him  in  view  of  one  of  the  group,  not 
discovered  on  his  voyage  to  the  north,  called  by  the 
natives  Owhyhee,  or  HawyJiee,  as  Ledyard  writes 
it,  or  Hawaii,  according  to  the- modem  orthography 
of  the  missionaries.'^     As  our  traveller  is  more 


*  It  is  to  be  observed,  that  the  sound  expressed  by  Ledyard'g 
orthography,  <«nd  that  of  the  missionaries,  is  exactly  the  same,  he 
preserving  tiie  English  sounds  of  the  vowels,  and  they  adopting 


8 


^m 


!H 


I! 


j 


86 


UFE  OF  JOHN  LSDYARD. 


minute  in  his  description  of  the  events  that  happened 
■t  this  idlind,  and  particularly  in  his  account  of  the 
death  of  Captain  Cook,  than  most  nanrators,  and  as 
he  describes  only  what  came  witlun  his  own  knowI'> 
edge,  it  may  be  worth  while  to  'well  a  little  Upon 
these  topics.  *« 


n 


J 


\\ 


^•J/Ut. 


* 


.:-V--v 


'/ 


■i.-..- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


CHAPTER  V. 


The  fhipt  anehorad  in  ]%u«k«kua  b*v.— Flnt  interview  with  the 
uitfyes.— R«reieiifi|ildi  which  they  regarded  Coolt.— Tents 
erected  for  Mtronooueal  obiervationi.— Ceremoniei  at  the  meet- 
ing of  Cook  with  the  oM  king. — Ledyud  forms  the  project  of 
ascending  the  high  mountain  in  Hawaii^  called  by  the  natives 
JUsunoANi.— Description  of  iia  ascett^  and  cause  of  his  ulti- 
mate fidlure. — ^The  nanves  begin  to  show  symptoms  of  uneasiness 
at  the  presence  of  tlie  strangers,  and  to  treat  them  widi  disre- 

Stect— Oflbnded  at  the  encroachment  made  on  theh-  Morai. — 
ook  departs  from  Ufarakekua  bay,  but  is  compelled  to  return 
by  a  heavy  storm,  that  overtakes  nim,  and  injures  his  ships. — 
Natives  receive  Urn  coldly.— They  steal  one  of  the  ship's  boats, 
which  Cook  endeaveuit  tP  recover.^}Qes  on  shore  for  |he  pur- 
pose.— Is  there  attacked  by  the  natives  and  slain. — ^Ledyard 
accompaided  him  on  shore,  and  was  near  his  person  when 
Idlled. — His  description  of  the  event— Expedinon  sails  fat 
fiamtschatka,  explores  again  the  Polar,  seas,  and  returns  to  Eng- 
land.— ^Ledyard's  opinions  JM^tbig  tfie  finrt  peopling  <tf  the 
-     -    -        -  -  -  to  this  subji 


South  Sea  Islands.— Oi 
founded  on  the  analog 
pie. — Characteristics  d! 


ks  relathig  t<i  this  subject, 
founded  on  the  analogy  of  llj|uaf;es  and  manners  of  the  peo- 

Ele. — Characteristics  ra  Ledyaira's  journal. — ^Estimation  in  which 
e  held  Captain  Cotk. 

The  ships  were  several  days  among  the  islands, 
sailing  in  difierent  directions,  before  a  harbour  was 
discovered,  in  which  they  could  anchor  with  safety, 
and  where  water  and  provisions  could  be  procured. 
At  length  they  entered  a  commodious  bay  on  the 
south  side  of  Hawaii,  extending  inland  about  two 
miles  and  a  half,  having  the  town  of  Kearakekua  on 
one  side,  and  Kiverua  on  the  other.  These  towns 
contained  fourteen  hundred  houses.  The  crowds  of 
people  that  flocked  to  the  shore,  as  the  vessels  sailed 
in  and  came  to  anchor,  were  prodigious.  They  had 
sissembled  from  the  interior  and  the  coast.  Three 
thousand  canoes  were  counted  in  the  bay,  filled  with 
men,  women,  and  children,  to  the  number  of  at  least 
fifleen  thousand,  besides  others  that  were  swimming 


A 


rr:?'  i.'. jii^i^'h 


88 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


and  sustaining  themselves  on  floats  in  the  water. 
The  scene  was  animated  and  grotesque  in  the  ex- 
treme. "  The  beach,  the  surrounding  rocks,  the 
tops  of  houses,  the  branches  of  Jgees,  and  the  adia- 

imi  the  shouts  of  u 


W 


cent  hills  were  all  covered ;  at 


joy 


and  admiration,  proceeding  from  the  sonorous  voices 
of  the  men,  confused  with  the  shriller  exclamations 
of  the  women  dancing  and  clapping  their  hands,  the 
oversettmg  of  canoes,  cries  of  the  children,  goods 
afloat,  and  hogs  that  were  brought  to  market  squeal- 
ing, formed  one  of  the  most  curious  prospects,  that 
can  be  imagined.'^  But  amidst  this  immense  con- 
course, all  was  peace,  harmonyi  hilarity,  and  good 
nature.  Many  of  the  natives  were  contented  to 
gaze  and  wonder;  others,  by  their  noise  and  ac- 
tions, gave  more  imposing  demonstrations  of  their 
joy  and  admiration^  wUpl  others  were  busy  in 
bartering  away  hogs,  sweet  potatoes,  and  siich  pro- 
visions as  they  had,  for  articles  that  pleased  their 
fancy. 

Cook's  first  visit  to  the  shore  was  attended  with  a 
good  deal  of  ceremony.  Two  chiefs,  with  long 
white  poles  as  ensigns  of  their  authority,  made  a 
passage  among  the  canoes  for  his  pinnace,  and  the 
people,  as  he  was  rowed  along  covered  their  faces 
with  their  hands.  When  he  landed,  they  fell  pros- 
trate on  the  beach  before  him,  and  a  new.set  of  offi- 
cers opened  a  way  for  him  through  the  crowd.  The 
same  expressions  of  awe  were  manifested,  as  he 
proceeded  from  the  water's  edge.  "The  people 
upon  the  adjacent  hills,  upon  the  houses,  on  the 
stone  walls,  and  in  the  tops  of  the  trees,  also  hid 
their  faces,  while  he  passed  along  the  openfhg,  but 
he  had  no  sooner  passed  them,  thai  they  rose  and 
followed  him.     But  if  Cook  happened  to  turn  his 


;/ 


U-U 


— "H  •  r-* 


B*«.«4^'»lk._..J^*.^«^,..'"fi> 


UFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYABD. 


89 


bead,  or  look  behind  bim,  tbey  were  down  again  in 
an  instant}  and  up  agam  as  soon  wbenever  his  face 
was  reverted  to  some  other  quarter.  This  punctil- 
ious performance  of  respect  in  so  vast  a  throng, 
being  regulated  soldy  by  the  accidental  turn  of  one 
man*s  liuead,  and  the  transition  being  sudden  and 
short,  rendered  it  very  difficult  even  for  an  individual 
to  be  in  proper  attitude.  If  he  lay  prostrate  but  a 
second  too  long,  he  was  pretty  sure  not  to  rise  again 
until  he  had  been  trampled  upon  by  all  behind  lum, 
and  if  he  dared  not  to  prostrate  himself,  he  would 
stumble  over  those  before  him  who  did.  This  pro- 
duced a  great  many  laughable  circumstances,  and  as 
Cook  walked  very  fast  to  get  from  the  sand  into  the 
shades  of  the  town,  it  rendered  the  matter  still  more 
difficult.  At  length,  however,  they  adopted  a  medi- 
um, that  much  better  vmwered  a  running  compli- 
ment, and  did  not  displease  the  chiefs  ;  this  was  to 
go  upon  all  fours,  which  was  truly  ludicrous  amcMig 
at  least  ten  thousand  people."  This  confusion  ceas- 
ed, however,  before  long,  for  Cook  was  conducted 
to  the  Moraif  a  sacred  enclosure,  which  none  but 
the  chiefs  and  their  attendants  were  allowed  to  enter. 
Here  he  was  unmolested,  and  the  presents  were  dis- 
tributed. " 
His  first  object  was  to  procure  a  situation  on  shore 
to  erect  tents,  and  fit  up  the  astronomical  instru- 
ments. A  suitable  spot  was  granted,  on  condition 
that  none  of  the  seamen  should  leave  the  place  after 
sunset,  and  with  a  stipulation  on  the  part  of  the 
chiefs,  that  none  of  their  people  should  enter  it  by 
night.  To  make  this  effectual,  the  ground  was 
marked  out  by  white  rods,  and  put  under  the  restric- 
tion of  the  tabUf  which  no  native  dared  violate, 
bemg  restrained  by  the  superstitious  fear  of  ofiend- 
8* 


■^'•^:mi„ 


:  :^dtiiiiilaii&t . 


\'l 


90 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


ing  the  aimtf  or  invisible  spirits  of  the  island.  This 
caution  surprised  Cook  a  little,  as  he  had  not  wit- 
nessed it  among  the  natives  of  the  other  South  Sea 
islands.  It  appeared  reasonable,  and  he  consented 
to  it,  not  foreseeing  the  mischiefs  to  which  it  would 
uhimately  lead.  Ledyard  considers  it  the  (Nrigin  of 
all  the  disasters  that  followed.  Restrictions  were 
imposed,  which  could  not  be  enforced ;  they  were 
violated  secretly  at  first,  then  with  less  reserve,  and 
at  last  openly.  The  men  in  the  tents  were  the  first 
to  transgress,  by  going  abroad  contrary  to  the  agree- 
ment. The  native  women  were  tempted  by  them 
to  pass  over  the  prescribed  limits,  although  they 
shuddered  at  the  apprehension  of  the  consequences, 
which  might  follow  such  a  disregard  of  the  labu. 
When  they  found,  however,  that  no  harm  came  upon 
them  from  the  enraged  atulu,  their  fears  by  degrees 
subsided.  This  intercourse  was  not  such,  as  to  raise 
the  Europeans  in  the  estimation  of  the  islanders. 
It  was  begun  by  stealth,  and  prosecuted  in  violation 
of  the  sacred  injunction  of  the  tabuj  and  as  no 
measures  were  taken  to  prevent  it,  the  chiefs  natu- 
rally considered  it  an  infraction  of  the  agreement.' 
Ledyard  was  himself  stationed  on  shore  with  a  guard 
of  marines  to  protect  the  tents,  and  enjoyed  the  best 
opportunity  for  seeing  and  knowing  what  passed  in 
that  quarter. 

Harmony,  and  a  good  understanding  among  all 
parties,  prevailed  for  several  days.  Cook  went 
through  the  ceremony  of  being  anointed  with  cocoa- 
nut  oil  by  one  of  the  chief  priests,  and  of  listening 
to  a  speech  half  an  hour  in  length,  on  the  occasion, 
from  the  same  high  dignitary.  When  Teraiobu,  the 
king,  a  feeble  old  man,  returned  from  one  of  tlie 
other  islands,  where  he  had  been  on  a  visit,  there 


;/ 


ll  V'< 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


91 


Thif 
lot  wit- 
ith  Ses 
isented 

would 
rigin  of 
•  were 

were 
6)  and 
le  first 
agree*  ; 
^  them 

thej 
Bnces,  . 
tabu.  ^ 
upon 
grees 
raise 


waf  another  ceremony,  conducted  with  great  form, 
at  his  meeting  with  Cook.  Entertainments  sue* 
ceeded,  and  good  cheer  and  good  humor  were  seen 
everywhere.  Cooic  first  invited  Teraiobu  and  bis 
chiefs  on  board  to  dinner.  They  were  temperatei 
drinking  water  only,  and  eating  but  little.  The  cMi, 
king  satisfied  himself  entirely  with  bread-fruit  and 
water,  but  the  young  chiefs  comprised  in  their  repast 
the  luxury  of  pork  and  fowls.  They  all  went  away 
well  pleased,  and  the  king  invited  Cook  to  dine  with 
him  Uie  next  day  at  his  royal  residence.  The  invi- 
tation was  accepted  ;  and  when  the  hour  came,  the 
navigator  and  his  officers  were  sumptuously  feasted 
on  baked  hog  and  potatoes,  neatly  spread  out  on 
green  plantain  leaves,  and  for  beverage  they  were 
supplied  with  cocoa-nut  milk.  The  day  was  closed 
with  gymnastic  exercises,  wrestling  and  boxing, 
ordered  bv  the  old  king  for  the  amusement  of  his 
guests.  On  the  next  evening  Cook  in  his  turn  ex- 
hibited fireworks  on  shore,  much  to  the  amazement 
of  the  beholders,  who  had  never  before  seen  such  a 
display.  Many  laughable  incidents  occurred.  When 
the  first  sky-rocket  was  discharged,  the  multitude 
was  seized  with  the  greatest  consternation.  Cook 
and  his  officers  "  could  hardly  hold  the  old  feeble 
Teraiobu,  and  some  elderly  ladies  of  quality  that 
sat  among  them ;  and  before  they  had  recovered 
from  this  paroxysm,  nearly -the  whole  host,  that  a 
moment  before  surrounded  them,  had  fled."  Some 
were  too  much  frightened  to  return  any  more,  but 
others  came  back  as  their  fears  abated,  and  had  the 
courage  to  keep  their  ground  through  the  remainder 
of  the  exhibition. 

Thus  all  things  were  proceeding,  as  Ledyard  ex- 
{Mresses  it,  *'  in  the  old  Otaheite  style  ;"  the  visiters 


'  . 


•  vV 


-  »^'V!ms>iMiSJstL: 


'  » 


92 


^^M^? 


JOHN  LEDTABD. 


and  the  islanders  were  mutually  pleased  with  ea(ih\\ 
other,  kind  offices  were  reciprocated,  abundant  stores 
of  provisions  were  carried  on  board,  and  prospects 
were  favorable. 

While  affairs  were  in  this  train,  Ledyard  formed 
the  design  of  ascending  the  high  peak,  which  rises 
from  the  centre  of  the  island,  and  is  called  by  the 
natives  Mouna  Roa*  Although  this  mountain  stands 
on  an  island  only  mnety  miles  in  diameter,  yet  it  is 
one  of  the  highest  in  the  world.  Its  elevation  has 
been  estimated  to  be  about  eighteen  thousand  feet, 
and  its  summit  is  usually  covered  with  snow.  From 
his  station  at  the  tents,  Ledyard  sent  a  note  on  board 
the  Resolution  to  Captain  Cook,  asking  permission 
to  make  this  jaunt,  for  the  double  purpose  of  explor- 
ing the  interior,  and,  if  possible,  climbing  to  the  top 
of  the  mountain.  The  request  was  granted.  The 
botanist,  and  the  gunner  of  the  Resolution,  were 
deputed  by  the  commander  to  accompany  him. 
Natives  were  also  engaged  to  carry  the  baggage, 
and  serve  as  guides  through  the  woods.  A  tropical 
sun  Was  then  pouring  its  rays  on  them  at  the  bay  of 
Kearakekua,  but  the  snows  visible  on  the  peak  of 
Mouna  Roa  warned  them  to  provide  additional 
clothing,  and  guard  against  the  effects  of  a  sudden 
transition  from  heat  to  cold.  The  party  at  length 
set  off.  On  first  leaving  the  town,  thdr<i:  route  lay 
through  enclosed  plantations  of  sweet  potatoes,  with 
a  soU  of  lava,  tilled  in  some  places  with  difficulty. 
Now  and  then  a  patch  of  sugar-cane  was  seen  in  a 
mioist  place.  Next  came  the  open  plantations,  con- 
sisting chiefly  of  bread-fruit  trees,  and  the  land  began 
to  ascend  more  abruptly. 

"  We  continued  up  the  ascent,"  he  writes,  "to  the 
distance  of  a  mile  and  a  half  further,  and  found  the 


0^- 


"f. 


A^ 


■  ■/'/ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


93 


stores 
spects 


rises 


\ 


land  thick  covered  with  wild  fern,  among  which  our 
botanist  found  a  new  species.  It  was  now  near  sun- 
set, and  being  upon  the  skirts  of  these  woods,  that 
so  remarkably  surrounded  this  island  at  a  uniform 
distance  of  four  or  five  miles  from  the  shore,  we 
concluded  to  halt,  especially  as  there  was  a  hut  hard 
by,  that  would  afford  us  a  better  retreat  during 
the  night,  than  what  we  might  expect  if  we  pro- 
ceeded. When  we  reached  the  hut,  we  found  it 
inhabited  by  an  elderly  man,  his  wife,  and  daughter, 
the  emblem  of  innocent,  uninstructed  beauty.  They 
were  somewhat  discomposed  at  our  appearance  and 
equipment,  and  would  have  left  their  house  through 
fear,  had  not  the  Indians,  who  accompanied  us,  per- 
suaded them  otherwise,  and  at  last  reconciled  them 
to  us.  We  sat  down  together  before  the  door,  and 
from  the  height  of  the  situation  we  ha^i  a  complete 
retrospective  view  of  our  route,  of  the  town,  of  part 
of  the  bay,  and  one  of  our  ships,  besides  an  exten- 
sive prospect  on  the  ocean,  and  a  distant  view  of 
three  of  the  neighbouring  islands. 

"As  we  had  proposed  remaining  at  this  hut 
through  the  night,  and  were  willing  to  preserve  what 
provisions  we  had  ready  dressed,  we  purchased  a 
little  pig,  and  had  him  dressed  by  our  host,  who, 
finding  his  account  in  his  visitants,  bestirred  himself 
and  soon  had  it  ready.  After  supper  we  had  some 
of  our  brandy  diluted  with  the  mountain  water ;  and 
we  had  so  long  been  confined  to  the  poor  brackish 
water  at  *he  bay  below,  that  it  was  a  kind  of  nectar 
to  us.  As  soon  as  the  sun  was  set,  we  found  a  con- 
siderable difference  in  the  state  of  the  air.  At  night 
a  heavy  dew  fell,  and  we  felt  it  very  chilly,  and  had 
recourse  to  our  blankets,  notwithstanding  we  were 
in  the  hut.     The  next  morning,  when  we  came  to 


«• 


* 


'v.   V^ 


94 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD^ 


1 1 


enter  the  woods,  we  found  there  had  been  a  heav3r\  \ 
cain,  though  none  of  it  had  approached  us,  notwith- 
standing we  were  within  two  hundred  yards  of  the 
skirts  of  atie  forest.  And  it  seemed  to  be  a  mattor 
e£  fact,  both  from  the  information  of  the  natives  and 
our  own  observations,  that  neither  the  rains  nor  the 
dews  descended  lower  than  where  the  woods  ter- 
minated, unless  at  the  equinoxes  or  some  periodical ' 
conjuncture,  by  which  means  the  space  between  the 
woods  and  the  shore  is  rendered  warm,  and  fit  for 
the  purposes  of  culture,  and  the  vegetation  of  tropic- 
id  prochictionSi.  We  traversed  these  woods  by  a 
confess,  keeping  a  direct  course  for  the  peak,  aiid 
were  sa  happy  the  first  day  as  to  find  a  footpath  that 
tendied  neady  our  due  course,  by  which  means  we 
travelled  by  estimation  about  fifk;een  miles,  and 
tibougb  it  would  have  been  no  extraordinary  march, 
hftd  circumstances  been  different,  yet,  as  we  found 
them^  we  thought  it  a  very  great  one ;  for  it  was  not 
only  excessively  miry  and  rough,  but  the  way  was 
mostiy  an  ascent,  and  we  had  been  unused  to  walk- 
ing, £md  especially  to  carrying  such  loads  as  we  had. 
Our  Indian  companions  were  much  more  fatigued 
than  we  were,  though  they  had  nothing  to  carry, 
and,  what  displeased  us  very  much,  would  not  carry 
an3rthing.  Our  botanical  researches  delayed  us 
somewhat.  The  sun  had  not  set  when  we  halted, 
yet  meeting  with  a  situation  that  pleased  us,  and  not 
being  timited  as  to  time,  we  spent  the  remaining 
part  of  the  day  as  humor  dictated,  some  in  botaniz- 
ing, and  those  who  had  fowling-pieces  with  them  in 
i^ooting.  For  my  part  I  could  not  but  think  the 
present  appearance  of  our  encampment  claimed  a 
part  of  our  attention,  and  therefore  set  about  some 
alterations  and  auiendments.    It  was  the  trunk  of  a 


\ 


;  •  •"T^-" 


■  ■'**■>- ■-^<„. 


n  1 ,      ,    ■  ■- ' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYABiD. 


w 


tree,  that  had  fallen  by  the  ''e  of  the  path,  and  lay 
with  one  end  transversei}  ver  another  tree,  thst 
had  fallen  befo|e  in  an  oppot«ite  direction,  and  as  it 
measured  twenty-two  feet  in  circumference,  and  li^'« 
four  feet  from  the  ground,  it  afforded  a  very  good 
shelter  except  at  the  sides,  which  defect  I  supplied 
by  large  pieces  of  bark,  and  a  good  quantity  of 
boughs,  which  rendered  it  very  commodious.  We 
slept  through  the  night  under  it  much  better  than  we 
had  done  the  preceding,  notwithstanding  there  was 
a  heavy  dew,  and  the  air  cold. 

"  The  next  morning  we  set  out  in  good  spirits, 
hoping  that  day  to  reach  the  snowy  peak ;  but  we 
had  not  gone  a  mile,  before  the  path,  ih«t  had 
hitherto  so  much  facilitated  our  progress,  began  ^ot 
only  to  take  a  direction  southward  of  west,  but  had 
been  so  little  frequented  as  to  be  almost  effiiced. 
In  this  situation  we  consulted  our  Indian  convoy, 
but  to  no  purpose.    We  then  advised  among  our> 
selves,  and  at  length  concluded  to  proceed  by  the 
nearest  route  without  any  beaten  track,  and  went  in 
this  manner  «ibout  four  miles  further,  finding  the  way 
even  more  steep  and  rough,  than  we  had  yet  expe«-i. 
rienced,  but  above  all  impeded  by  such  impenetrable 
thickets,  as  to  render  it  impossible  for  us  to  proceed 
any  further.    We  therefore  abandoned  our  design, 
and  returning  in  our  own  track,  reached  the  retreat 
we  had  improved  the  last  night,  having  been  the 
whole  day  in  walking  only  about  ten  miles,  and  we 
had  been  very  assiduous  too.    We  found  the  country 
here,  as  well  as  at  the  seashore,  universally  over- 
spread with  lava,  and  also  saw  several  subterranean 
excavations,  that  had  every  appearance  of  past  erup- 
tion and  fire.     Our  botanist  to-day  met  with  great 
success,  and  we  had  also  shot  a  number  of  fine  birds 


X      -^ 


'  '''A 


■Uttm-^'tt-^'tHi'^^'^^-^^n.^ 


^    i 


96 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


■*» 


<">,; 


^        of  the  liveliest  and  most  variegated  plumage,  that 
'    any  of  us  had  ever  met  with,  but  we  heard  no  melo- 
dy among  them.     Except  these  w^  saw  no  other 
kind  of  birds  but  the  screechowl ;  neither  did  we 
see  any  kind  of  quadruped,  but  we  caught  several 
curious  insects.     The  woods  here  are  thick  and 
luxuriant,  the  largest  trees  being  nearly  thirty  feet  in 
i   the  girth,  and  these  with  the  shrubbery  underneath, 
«v  and  the  whole  intersected  with  vines,  render  it  very 
/*   umbrageous.  ,         ^i.,ti 

?  "  The  next  day,  about  two  in  the  afternoon,  we 
I  cleared  the  woods  by  our  old  route,  and  by  six 
i-'  o'clock  reached  the  tents,  having  penetrated  about 
'^'  twenty-four  miles,  and,  we  supposed,  within  eleven 
of  the  peak.  Our  Indians  were  extremely  fatigued, 
though  they  had  no  baggage."  *  ,fj 

Were  we  to  follow  the  author  closely  in  his  narra- 
tive, we  should  here  introduce  his  description  of  the 
island  of  Hawaii,  and  of  the  various  subjects  that 
Attracted  his  notice.  He  speaks  of  the  geological 
structure  of  the  island,  its  soil,  productions,  climate, 
and  animals ;  the .  customs  of  the  natives,  their  su- 
perstitions, government,  and  criminal  offences ;  their 
way  of  living,  and  the  remarkable  differences  be- 
tween them  and  other  islanders  of  the  South  Sea. 
On  some  of  these  topics  his  remarks  are  ofiginal 
and  striking,  but  we  must  pass  over  them,  and  bast- 
en  to  particulars  of  higher  interest.  a 
Before  two  weeks  had  expired,  die  natives  began 
to  show  symptoms  of  uneasiness  at  the  presence  of 


!  t 


*  This  mountain  was  never  ascended  to  the  top  till  very  recent- 
ly. Mr  Goodrich,  one  of  the  American  missionaries  on  the  island, 
was  the  first  person  who  persevered  in  reaching  the  summit.  He 
ascended  on  a  side  of  the  mountain  nearly  oppMite  to  that,  where 
Ledyard  made  the  attempt,      t^s  ^f^.i:f^  .i/fint-.'i't^''f''am^^fs^ii^'f 

\ 


7 


^ 


;..;*' .rr  '  . 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


97 


the  foreigners,  and  to"  treat  them  with  diminished 
respect.  In  truth,  very  Uttle  pains  were  taken  to 
preserve  their  good  opinion,  or  to  keep  alive  tiieir 
kind  feelings  ;  and  one  untoward  event  after  another 
was  perpetually  occurring  to  lessen  the  admiration, 
which  novelty  had  excited,  and  to  alienate  them 

*  from  their  newly  made  friends.  Ledyard  mentions 
several  incidents  of  this  description,  which  are  not 
alluded  to  in  the  authorized  account  of  Cook's  last 
voyage.  Some  of  them,  probably,  were  not  known 
to  the  writer,  and  others  were  omitted  from  motives 
of  policy,  as  being  rather  evidences  of  neglect  or 
injudicious  management,  than  of  cautious  or  discreet 
measures.  The  natives  first  began  to  practise 
slight  insults,  which  seemed  to  proceed  rather  from 
a  mischievous  than  a  malignant  temper.     The  mas- 

r  ter's  mate  was  ordered  to  take  on  board  the  rudder 
t''of  the  Resolution,  which  had  been  sent  ashore  for 
,  repairs.  It  was  too  heavy  for  his  men  to  remove, 
^  and  he  asked  the  natives  to  assist  them.     Fifty  or 

•  sixty  immediately  caught  hold  of  the  rope  attached 
to  the  rudder,  and  began  to  pull.    But  whether  in 

"  sport,  or  by  design,  they  caused  only  embarrassment 
and  disorder.  "  This  exasperated  the  mate,  and  he 
struck  two  or  three  of  them,  which  being  observed 
by  «  chief  that  was  present,  he  interposed.  The 
mate  haughtily  told  the  chief  to  order  his  people  to 
assist  him,  and  the  chief  as  well  as  the.  people,  having 

^  no  intention  but  of  showing  their  disregard  and 
scorn,  which  had  long  been  growing  towards  us, 
laughed  at  him,  hooted  him,  and  threw  stones  at  him 
and  the  crew,  who  taking  up  some  trunnels  that  were 

-  lying  by,  fell  upon  the  Indians,  beat  many  of  them 
much,  and  drove  the  rest  several  rods  back  ;  but  the 
crowd  collecting  at  a  little  distance,  formed,  and  be- 
9  .  --s-* 


'\  ■ 


**,  ,*' 


y-x,     - 


■mmm*^ 


**«s«*««»*:r  ■  -  '>.%m-' 


■im..  ^SmtOt^ 


m*it* 


98 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


I'  n 


gan  to  use  abusive  language,  challenge  our  people,\ 
and  throw  stones,  some  of  which  came  into  our  en- 
campment." Ledyard's  guard  of  marines  was 
ordered  out,  "  at  least  to  make  a  show  of  resent-* 
raent,"  and  the  commanding  officer  at  the  tents  went 
out  himself  to  quell  the  disturbance  ;  but  they  were 
all  pelted  with  stones,  and  retired,  leaving  the  field 
to  the  natives  till  night,  when  the  rudder  was  taken, 
on  board. 

' ,  "  Instances  of  this  kind,  though  of  less  apparent 
importance,  had  happened  several  times  before  this 
on  shore ;  but  on  board  hardly  a  day  passed  after 
the  first  week,  that  did  not  produce  some  petty  dis- 
turbance in  one  or  both  of  the  ships,  and  they  chief- 
ly proceeded  from  thefts  perpetrated  by  the  natives 
in  a  manner  little  short  of  robbery.      Cook  and 
Teraiobu  were  fully  employed  in  adjusting  and  com-*:, 
promising  these  differences,  and  as  there  was  reaHyjff 
a  recijirocal  disinterested  regard  between  him  andv 
this  good  old  man,  it  tended  much  to  facilitate  these, 
amicable  negotiations.     But  in  the  midst  of  these* 
measures.  Cook  was  insensible  of  the  daily  decline 
of  his  greatness  and  importance  in  the  estimation  of - 
the  natives ;  nay,  so  confident  was  he,  and  so  secure 
in  the  opposite  opinion,  that  on  the  fourth  of  Februa-  - 
ry  he  came  to  Kearakekua,  with  his  boats,  to  pur- 
chase and  carry  off  the  fence  round  the  Moral,  which 
he  wanted  to  wood  the  ships  with.    When  he  land-  >, 
ed,  he  sent  for  the  Priest  Kikinny,  and  some  other  - 
chiefs,  and  offered  them  two  iron  hatchets  for  the 
fence.      The  chiefs  were  astonished,  not  only  at; 
the  inadequate  price,  biit  at  the  proposal,  and  refus- 
ed him. 

"*'  "  Cook  was  as  much  chagrined  as  they  were  sur- 
prised, and,  not  meeting  with  the  easy  acquiescence 


^ 


*  ., 


,5^m 


f$^ 


S<1 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


99 


he  expected  to   his  requisitions,  gave   immediate 
orders  to  his  people  to  ascend  the  Morai,  break  down 
the  fence,  and  load  the  boats  with  it,  leading  the 
way  himself  to  enforce'  his  orders.    The  poor  dis- 
mayed chiefs,  dreading  his  displeasure,  which  they 
saw  approaching,  followed  him  upon  the  Morai  to 
behold  the  fence  that  enclosed  the  mansions  of  their 
noble  ancestors,  and  the  images  of  their  gods,  torn 
to  pieces  by  a  handful  of  rude  strangers,  without  the 
power,  or  at  least  without  the  resolution,  of  opposing 
their  sacrilegious  depredations.     When  Cook  had 
ascended  the  Morai,  he  once  more  offered   the 
hatchets  to  the  chiefs.     It  was  a  very  unequal  price, 
if  the  honest  chiefs  would  have  accepted  of  the 
bribe ;  and  Cook  offered  it  only  to  evade  the  impu- 
tation of  taking   their  property  without  payment. 
The  chiefs  again  refused  it.     Cook  then  added  an- 
other hatchet,  and,  kindling  into  resentment,  told 
•  them  to  take  it  or  nothing.     Kikinny,  to  whom  the 
offer  was  made,  turned  pale,  and  trembled  as  he 
stood,  but  still  refused.     Cook  thrust  them  into  his 
garment,  that  was  folded  round  him,  and  left  him 
immediately  to  hasten  the  execution  of  his  orders. 
As  for  Kikinny,  he  turned  to  some  of  his  menials, 
and  made  them  take  the  hatchets  out  of  his  garment, 
not  touching  them  himself.     By  this  time  a  con- 
siderable concourse  of  the  natives  had  assembled 
under  the  walls  of  the  Morai,  where  we  were  throw- 
ing the  wood  down,  and  were  very  outrageous,  and 
even  threw  the  wood  and  images  back  as  we  threw 
them  down ;  and  I  cannot  think  what  prevented  themts^ 
from  proceeding  to  greater  lengths ;  however,  it  so 
happened  that  we  got  the  whole  into  the  boats,  and 
safely  on  board." 
t   This  story  is  told  differently  by  Captain  King, 


#■'#' 


is 


^W" 


•**>^ 


,.r  '^f  :»■'■-••'<., ••■•„,»'«'V». 


-^'9''^^';!^::y^''^^^^'^..:^ 


'  y^!^fWf''f^^ll^'^^-^l^^^^ , 


'■  I     •0^mmtamtiK*i 


••iMtfMrei* 


m.'.m'im 


loa 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


» 1 


"P^ 


who  wrote  that  part  of  Cook*s  Third  Voyage,  which 
relates  to  the  Sandwich  Islands.  As  he  represents 
it,  no  objection  was  made  to  the  proposal  for  taking 
away  the  enclosure  of  wood,  that  surrounded  the 
Moraij  and  even  the  images  were  tumbled  down 
and  carried  off,  under  the  eyes  of  the  priests,  with- 
out any  resistance  or  disapprobation  on  their  part. 
This  would  seem  improbable.  The  Morai  was  the 
depositary  of  the  dead,  a  place  where  the  images  of 
the  gods  were  kept,  and  solemn  ceremonies  per- 
formed. It  is  not  easy  to  reconcile  the  two  accounts ; 
but  Ledyard  was  employed  with  others  in  removing 
the  fence,  and  he  manifestly  describes  what  he  saw. 
He  may  not  have  been  so  well  acquainted  with  the 
manner  and  conditions  of  the  purchase,  as  Captain 
King,  yet  in  the  detail  of  occurrences  in  which  he 
was  engaged,  and  their  effects  on  the  people  around 
bim,  it  is  hardly  possible  that  he  should  have  been 
mistaken.    Again,  he  writes,     -iv'r-ti^  '        v# 

"  On  the  evening  of  the  fifth  we  struck  our  tents, 
and  everything  was  taken  on  board,  and  it  was 
manifestly  much  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  natives. 
A  little  after  dark  an  old  house,  that  stood  on  a  cor- 
ner of  the  Morai,  took  fire  and  burnt  down  ;  this  we 
supposed  was  occasioned  by  our  people's  carelessly 
leaving  their  fire  near  it,  but  this  was  not  the  case. 
The  natives  burnt  it  themselves,  to  show  us  the  re- 
sentment they,  entertained  towards  us,  on  account  of 
our  using  it  without  their  consent,  and  indeed  mani- 
festly against  it.  We  had  made  a  sail-loft  of  one 
part  of  it,  and  an  hospital  for  our  sick  of  the  other, 
though  it  evidently  was  esteemed  by  the  natives  as 
holy  as  the  rest  of  the  Morai,  and  ought  to  have 
been  considered  so  by  us." 

They  had  now  been  nineteen  days  in  Kearakekua 


-w, 


I  *  I   fe. 


,,1'*; 


-f 


•«•  r. 


.  /    -.^,^,«^*^'*-*>%.,„».,.jc^''\«M-l*fi^Vi*'"'N.,    ^i^l^^i 


i'^  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


101 


bay ;  the  ships  had  been  repaired,  the  seamen  re- 
cruited after  their  long  toils,  provisions  for  several 
months  laid  in,  and  nothing  more  was  wanting  to 
enable  them  to  go  again  to  sea,  but  a  supply  of 
water.  This  was  not  to  be  had  at  Kearakekua,  ex- 
cept of  a  brackish  quality,  and  it  was  resolved  to 
search  for  it  on  some  of  the  other  islands.  For  this 
object  the  vessels  were  unmoored,  and  sailed  out  of 
the  harbour.  No  sooner  had  they  got  to  sea,  than  a 
violent  gale  came  on,  which  lasted  three  days  and 
injured  so  seriously  liie  Resolution's  foremast,  that 
Cook  was  compelled  to  return  speedily  to  his  old 
anchorage  ground  and  make  repairs.  Our  voyager 
is  so  circumstantial  in  his  account  from  this  point,  till 
the  tragical  death  of  Captain  Cook,  that  I  shall  not 
mar  his  narrative  by  curtailing  it.  The  only  thing 
necessary  to  be  premised  is,  that  he  was  one  of  the 
small  party,  who  landed  with  the  unfoitunate  navi- 
gator on  die  morning  of  his  death,  and  was  near  him 
during  the  fatal  contest,  although  this  does  not  ap- 
pear from  his  own  statement. 

"  Our  return  to  this  bay  was  as  disagreeable  to  us, 
as  it  was  to  the  inhabitants,  for  we  were  reciprocally 
tired  of  each  other.  They  had  been  oppressed,  and 
were  weary  of  our  prostituted  alliance,  and  we  were 
aggrieved  by  the  consideration  of  wanting  the  pro- 
visions and  refreshments  of  the  country,  which  we 
had  every  reason  to  suppose,  from  their  behaviour 
antecedent  to  our  departure,  would  now  be  withheld 
from  us,  or  brought  in  such  small  quantities  as  to  be 
worse  than  none.  What  we  anticipated  was  true. 
When  we  entered  the  bay,  where  before  we  had  the 
shouts  of  thousands  to  welcome  our  arrival,  we  had 
the  mortification  not  to  see  a  single  canoe,  and  hardi- 
ly any  inhabitants  in  the  towns.  Cook  was  chagrined, 
9* 


-M 


^,,.. 


\m 


# 


■as^aSSiS8»f«-i»»«'«' 


.JWfswiWSf'' 


mMw 


»*M 


102 


lIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


i! 


M  •' 


i.v. 


i-ij.  y 


and  his  people  were  soured.  Towards  night,  howw 
ever,  the  canoes  came  in,  but  the  provisions  both  in 
quantity  and  quality  plainly  informed  us,  that  times 
were  altered ;  and  what  was  very  remarkable  was  the 
exorbitant  price  they  asked,  and  the  particular  fancy 
they  all  at  once  took  to  iron  daggers  or  dirks,  which 
were  the  only  articles  that  were  any  ways  current, 
with  the  chiefs  at  least.  It  was  also  equally  evident 
from  the  looks  of  the  natives,  as  well  as  every  other 
appearance,  that  our  former  friendship  was  at  an 
end,  and  that  we  had  nothing  to  do  but  to  hasten  our 
departure  to  some  different  island,  where  our  vices 
were  not  known,  and  where  our  extrinsic  virtues 
might  gain  us  another  short  space  of  being  wondered 
at,  and  doing  as  we  pleased,  or,  as  our  tars  express- 
ed it,  of  being  happy  by  the  month. 

**  Nor  was  their  passive  appearance  of  disgust  all 
we  had  to  fear,  nor  did  it  continue  long.  Before 
dark  a  canoe  with  a  number  of  armed  chiefs  came 
along-side  of  us  without  provisions,  and  indeed  with- 
out any  perceptible  design.  After  staying  a  short 
time  only,  they  went  to  the  Discovery,  where  a  part 
of  them  went  on  board.  Here  they  affected  great 
friendship,  and  unfortunately  overacting  it,  Gierke 
was  suspicious,  and  ordered  two  sentinels  on  the 
gangways.  These  men  were  purposely  sent  by  the 
chief,  who  had  formerly  been  so  very  intimate  with 
Gierke,  and  afterwards  so  ill  treated  by  him,  with  the 
charge  of  stealing  his  jolly-boat.  They  came  with 
a  determination  of  mischief,  and  effected  it.  After 
they  were  all  returned  to  the  canoe  but  one,  they  got 
their  paddles  and  everything  ready  for  a  start. 
Those  in  the  canoes,  observing  the  sentry  to  be 
watchful,  took  off  his  attention  by  some  conversation, 
that  they  knew  would  be  pleasing  to  him,  and  by 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


103 


4' 


this  means  favored  the  designs  of  the  man  on  board, 
who  watching  his  opportunity  snatched  two  pairs  of 
tongs,  and  other  iron  tools  that  then  lay  close  by  the 
armorers  at  work  at  the  forge,  and  mounting  the 
gangway-rail,  with  one  leap  threw  himself  and  his 
goods  into  the  canoe,  that  was  then  upon  the  move, 
and,  taking  up  his  paddle,  joined  the  others ;  and 
standing  directly  for  the  shore,  they  were  out  of  our 
reach  aknost  instantaneously,  even  before  a  musket 
could  be  had  from  the  arms-chest  to  fire  at  tliem. 
The  sentries  had  only  hangers.  This  was  the  bold- 
est exploit  that  had  yet  been  attempted,  and  had  a 
bad  aspect.  Gierke  immediately  sent  to  the  com- 
modore, who  advised  him  to  send  a  boat  on  shore  to 
endeavuor  at  least  to  regain  the  goods,  if  they  could 
not  the  men  who  took  ^em ;  but  the  errand  was  as 
ill  executed  as  contrived,  and  the  master  of  the  Dis- 
covery was  glad  to  return  with  a  severe  drubbing 
from  the  very  chief,  who  had  been  so  maltreated  by 
Gierke.  The  crew  were  also  pelted  with  stones, 
and  had  all  their  oars  broken,  and  they  had  not  a 
single  weapon  in  the  boat,  not  even  a  cutlass,  to  de- 
fend themselves.  When  Cook  heard  of  this,  he 
went  armed  himself  in  person  to  the  guard  on  shore, 
took  a  file  of  marines  and  went  through  the  whole 
town  demanding  restitution,  and  threatening  the  de- 
linquents and  their  abettors  with  the  severest  punish- 
ments ;  but  not  being  able  to  effect  anything,  he 
came  off  just  at  sunset  highly  displeased,  and  not  a 
little  concerned  at  the  bad  appearance  of  things. 
But  even  this  was  nothing  to  what  followed. 

"  On  the  thirteenth,  at  night,  the  Discovery's 
large  cutter,  which  was  at  her  usual  moorings  at  the 
bower  buoy,  was  taken  away.  On  the  fourteenth 
the  captains  met  to  consult  what  should  be  done  on 


M^ 


Vf^Vi^ai. 


fmv^mmmiifiit 


f'^'CL, ; .-  -gfil.t  l.i  i. 


'( 


■■* 


104 


\  < 


LITE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


this  alarming  occasion ;  and  the  issue  of  their  opin-4  \ 
ions  was,  that  one  of  the  two  captains  should  land 
with  armed  boats  and  a  guard  of  marines  at  Kiverua, 
and  attempt  to  persuade  Teraiobu,  who  was  then  at 
his  house  in  that  town,  to  come  on  board  upon  a 
visit,  and  that  when  he  was  on  board  he  should  be 
kept  prisoner,  until  his  subjects  should  release  him 
by  a  restitution  of  the  cutter ;  and  if  it  was  after- 
wards thought  proper,  he,  or  some  of  the  family 
who  might  accompany  him,  should  be  kept  as  per- 
petual hostages  for  the  good  behaviour  of  the  people, 
during  the  remaining  part  of  our  continuance  at 
Kearakekua.  This  plan  was  the  more  approved  of 
by  Cook,  as  he  had  so  repeatedly  on  former  occa- 
sions to  the  southward  employed  it  with  success. 
Gierke  was  then  in  a  deep  decline  of  his  health,  and 
too  feeble  to  undertake  the  affair,  though  it  naturally 
devolved  upon  him,  as  a  point  of  duty  not  well  trans- 
ferable ;  he  therefore  begged  Cook  to  oblige  him  so 
much,  as  to  take  that  part  of  the  business  of  thu  day 
upon  himself  in  his  stead.  This  Cook  agreed  to, 
but  previous  to  his  landing,  made  some  additional 
arrangements,  respecting  the  possible  event  of  things, 
though  it  is  certain  from  the  appearun  je  of  the  sub- 
sequent arrangements,  that  he  guarded  more  against 
the  flight  of  Teraiobu,  or  those  he  could  wish  to  see, 
than  from  an  attack,  or  even  much  insult.  The 
disposition  of  our  guards,  when  the  movements  be- 
gan, was  thus.  Cook  in  his  pinnace  with  six  private 
marines ;  a  corporal,  sergeant,  and  two  lieutenants 
of  mavr  les  went  ahead,  followed  by  the  launch  with  > 
other  marines  and  seimen  on  one  quarter,  and  the 
small  cutter  on  the  other,  with  only  the  crew  on 
board.  This  part  of  the  guard  rowe  3  for  Kearake- 
kua.     Our  large  cucter  and  two  boats  from  the 


'.( 


y\ 


.*"■•• 


;/ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


105 


Discovery  had  orders  to  proceed  to  tiu  nouth  of  the 
bay,  form  at  equal  distances  across,  and  ^  ravent  any 
communication  by  water  from  any  othei  part  of  the 
island  to  the  towns  within  the  bay,  n  ff  )m  those 
Viithout.  Cook  landed  at  Kiverua  aboit  nine  oV'ock 
in  the  morning,  with  the  marines  in  the  pinnace,  and 
went  by  a  circuitous  march  to  the  house  of  Teraio- 
bu,  in  order  to  evade  the  suspicion  of  any  design. 
This  route  lead  through  a  considerable  part  of  the 
town,  which  <!is  wored  every  symptom  of  mischief, 
though  ^.K.ic.  bi  ided  by  some  fatal  cause,  could 
not  p  iCfcivo  ii,  ,c  too  self-confident,  would  not  re- 
gard it 

"The  town  was  evacuated  by  the  women  and 
c})i  liren,  who  had  retired  to  the  circumjacent  hills, 
and  appe^rf^d  almost  destitute  of  men ;  but  there 
were  at  that  time  two  hundred  chiefs,  and  more  than 
twice  that  number  of  other  men,  detached  and  se- 
creted in  different  parts  of  the  houses  nearest  to 
Teraiobu,  exclusive  of  unknown  numbers  without 
the  skirts  of  the  town ;  and  those  that  were  seen 
were  dressed  many  of  them  in  black.  When  the 
guard  reached  Teraiobu's  house,  Cook  ordered  the 
lieutenant  of  marines  to  go  in  and  see  if  he  was  at 
home,  and  if  he  was,  to  bring  him  out ;  the  lieu- 
tenant went  in,  and  found  the  old  man  sitting  with 
two  or  three  old  women  of  distinction ;  and  when  he 
gave  Teraiobu  to  understand  that  Cook  was  without, 
and  wanted  to  see  him,  he  discovered  the  greatest 
marks  of  uneasiness,  but  arose  and  accompanied  the 
lieutenant  out,  holding  his  hand.  When  he  came 
before  Cook,  he  squatted  down  upon  his  hams  as  a 
mark  of  humiliation,  and  Cook  took  him  by  the 
ii'  ad  from  the  lieutenant,  and  conversed  with  him. 

"  The  appearance  of  our  parade  both  by  water 


sU 


# 


^ 


•,fc  .*'*'^,*»,*<hA  - 


rr- ,  »u»4Ji^«iiis«Biyi. 


^.^'L»JMAih^^^:\.'h^-^je^^ 


\  \ 


106 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


?^.^ 


'    5 


fh 


and  on  shore,  though  conducted  with  the  utmost 
silence,  and  with  as  little  ostentation  as  possible,  had 
alarmed  the  towns  on  both  sides  of,  the  bay,  but 
particularly  Kiverua,  where  the  people  were  in  com- 
plete order  for  an  onset ;  otherwise  it  would  have 
been  a  matter  of  surprise,  that  though  Cook  did  not 
see  twenty  men  in  passing  through  the  town,  yet  be- 
fore he  had  conversed  ten  minutes  with  Teraiobu, 
he  was  surrounded  by  three  or  four  hundred  people, 
and  above  half  of  tJiem  chiefs.     Cook  grew  uneasy 
when  he  observed  this,  and  was  the  more  urgent  in 
his  persuasions  with  Teraiobu  to  go  on  board,  and 
actually  persuaded  the  old  man  to  go  at  length,  and 
led  him  within  a  rod  or  two  of  the  shore ;  but  the 
just  fears  and  conjectures  of  the  chiefs  at  last  inter- 
posed.    They  held  the  old  man  back,  and  one  of 
the  chiefs  threatened  Cook,  when  he  attempted  to 
make  them  quit  Teraiobu,     Some  of  the  crowd  now 
cried  out,  that  Cook  was  going  to  take  their  king 
from  them  and  kill  him,  and  there  was  one  in  par- 
ticular that  advanced  towards  Cook  in  an  attitude 
that  alarmed  one  of  the  guard,  who  presented  his 
bayonet  and  opposed  him,  acquainting  Cook  in  the 
mean  time  of  the  danger  of  his  situation,  and  that 
the  Indians  in  a  few  minutes  would  attack  him ;  that 
he  had  overheard  the  man,  whom  he  had  just  stop- 
ped from  rushing  in  upon  him,  say  that  our  boats 
which  were  out  in  the  harbour  had  just  killed  his 
brother,  and  he  would  be  revenged.     Cook  attended 
to  what  this  man  said,  and  desired  him  to  show  him 
the  Indian,  that  had  dared  to  attempt  a  combat  with 
him,  and  as  soon  as  he  was  pointed  out.  Cook  fired 
at  him  with  a  blank.     The  Indian,  perceiving  he  re- 
ceived no  damage  from  the  fire,  rushed  from  without 
the  crowd  a  second  time,  and  threatened  any  one 


:v«- 


m 


•ff': 


■*'■;'■''•'"—■'■*■•  s/--^--*-:'::^ 


AV'-I' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


107 


P; 


h.,S 


tliat  should  oppose  him.  Cook,  perceiving  this,  fired 
a  uall,  which  entering  the  Indian's  groin,  he  fell  and 
was  drawn  off  by  the  rest.  v  .ti=.«  -nvj  f 

"  Cook  perceiving  the  people  determined  to  op- 
pose his  designs,  and  that  he  should  not  succeed 
without  further  bloodshed,  ordered  the  lieutenant  of 
marines,  Mr.  Phillips,  to  withdraw  his  men  and  get 
them  into  the  boats,  which  were  then  lying  ready  to 
receive  them.     This  was  effected  by  the  sergeant ; 
but  the  instant  they  began  to  retreat.  Cook  was  hit 
with  a  stone,  and  perceiving  the  man  who  threw  it, 
shot  him  dead.     The  officer  in  the  boats  observing 
the  guard  retreat,  and  hearing  this  third  discharge, 
ordered  the  boats  to  fire.     This  occasioned  the  guard 
to  face  about  and  fire,  and  then  the  attack  became 
general.     Cook  and  Mr  .Phillips  were  together  a 
few  paces  in  the  rear  of  the  guard,  and,  perceiving 
a  general  fire  without  orders,  quitted  Teraiobu,  and 
ran  to  the  shore  to  put  a  stop  to  it,  but  not  being 
able   to  make  themselves  heard,  and  being  close 
pressed  upon  by  the  chiefs,  they  joined  the  guard, 
who  fired  as  they  retreated.     Cook,  having  at  length 
reached  the  margin  of  the  water,  between  the  fire 
of  the  boats,  waved  with  his  hat  for  them  to  cease 
firing  and  come  in  ;  and  while  he  was  doing  this,  a 
chief  from  behind  stabbed  him  with  one  of  our  iron 
daggers,  just  under  the  shoulder-blade,  and  it  passed 
quite  through  his  body.     Cook  fell  with  his  face  in 
tlie  water,  and  immediately  expired,     Mr  Phillips, 
not  being  able  any  longer  to  use  his  fusee,  drew 
his  sword,  and  engaging  the  chief  whom  he  saw 
kill  Cook,  soon   despatched  him.      His   guard   in 
the  mean  time  were  all  killed  but  two,  and  they  had 
plunged  into  the  water,  and  were  swimming  to  the 
boats.     He  stood  thus  for  some  time  the  butt  of  all 


#■ 


..»yi..*i;!i:'»\  .-'^V' 


- .« '  1 .1 .  111. ■— — iiww«y 


108 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


M* 

"^p- 


their  force,  and  being  as  complete  in  the  use  of  hia 
sword,  as  he  was  accomplished,  his  noble  achieve- 
ments struck  the  barbarians  with  awe ;  but  being 
wounded,  and  growing  faint  from  loss  of  blood  and 
excessive  action,  he  plunged  into  the  sea  with  his 
sword  in  his  hand  and  swam  to  the  boats  ;  where, 
however,  he  was  scarcely  taken  on  board,  before 
somebody  saw  one  of  the  marines,  that  had  swum 
from  the  shore,  lying  flat  upon  the  bottom.  Phillips, 
hearing  this,  ran  aft,  threw  himself  in  after  him,  and 
brought  him  up  with  him  to  the  surface  of  the  water, 
and  both  were  taken  in.        '       fc'     •  ''  'i     .      , 

**  The  boats  had  hitherto  kept  up  a  very  hot  fire, 
*and,  lying  off  without  the  reach  of  any  weapon  but 
stones,  had  received  no  damage,  and,  being  fully  at 
leisure  to  keep  up  an  unremitted  and  uniform  action, 
made  great  havoc  among  the  Indians,  particularly 
among  the  "chiefs,  who  stood  foremost  m  the  crowd 
and  were  most  exposed  ;  but  whether  it  was  from 
their  bravery,  or  ignorance  of  the  real  cause  that 
deprived  so  many  of  them  of  life,  that  they  made 
such  a  stand,  may  be  questioned,  since  it  is  certain 
that  they  in  general,  if  not  universally,  understood 
heretofore,  that  it  was  the  fire  only  of  our  arms  that 
destroyed  them.  This  opinion  seems  to  be  strength- 
ened by  the  circumstance  of  the  large,  tluck  mats, 
they  were  observed  to  wear,  which  were  also  con- 
stantly kept  wet ;  and,  furthermore,  the  Indian  that 
Cook  fired  at  with  a  blank  discovered  no  fear,  when 
he  found  his  mat  unburnt,  saying  in  their  language, 
when  he  showed  it  to  the  by-standers,  that  no  fire 
had  touched  it.  This  may  be  supposed  at  least  to 
have  had  some  influence.  It  is,  however,  certain, 
whether  from  one  or  both  these  causes,  that  the  num- 
bers that  fell  made  no  apparent  impression  on  those 


■*■ 


\:  .  i. 


iL^W    ■      : 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


109 


who  survived ;  they  were  immediately  taken  off; 
and  had  their  places  supplied  in  a  constant  suc- 
cession. 

"  Lieutenant  Gore,  who  commanded  as  first 
lieutenant  under  Cook  in  the  Resolution,  which  lay 
opposite  the  place  where  this  attack  was  made,  per- 
ceiving with  his  glass  that  the  guard  on  shore  was 
cut  off,  and  that  Cook  had  fallen,  immediately 
passed  a  spring  upon  one  of  the  cables,  and,  bring- 
ing the  ship's  starboard  guns  to  bear,  fired  two  round 
shot  over  the  boats  into  the  middle  of  the  crowd  ; 
and  both  the  thunder  of  the  cannon,  and  the  effects 
of  the  shot,  operated  so  powerfully,  that  it  pro- 
duced a  most  precipitate  retreat  from  the  shore  to 
the  town." 

"  Our  mast  that  was  repairing  at  Kearalcekua, 
and  our  astronomical  tents,  were  protected  only  by 
a  corporal  and  six  marines,  exclusive  of  the  carpen- 
ters at  work  upon  it,  and  demanded  immediate  pro- 
tection. As  soon,  therefore,  as  the  people  were 
refreshed  with  some  grog  and  reinforced,  they 
were  ordered  thither.  In  the  mean  time  the  marine, 
who  had  been  taken  up  by  Mr  Phillips,  discovered 
returning  life,  and  seemed  in  a  way  to  recover,  and 
we  found  Mr  Phillips's  wound  not  dangerous,  though 
very  bad.  We  also  observed  at  Kiverua,  that  our 
dead  were  drawn  off  by  the  Indians,  which  was  a, 
mortifyitig  sight ;  but  after'  the  boats  were  gone, 
they  did  it  in  spite  of  our  cannon,  which  were  firing 
at  them  several  minutes.  They  had  no  sooner  ef- 
fected this  matter,  than  they  retired  to  the  hills  to 
ayoid  our  shot.  The  expedition  to  Kiverua  had 
taken  up  about  an  hour  and  an  half,  and  we  lost, 
besides  Cook,  a  corporal  and  three  marines. 
i^  10 


ii 


* 


#V   T 


no 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


I  H< 


t 


,\ 


.    t'  '.'. 


"  Notwithstanding  the  despatch  that  was  used  in 
sending  a  force  to  Kearakekua,  the  small  party  there 
were  already  attacked  before  their  arrival,  but  by 
an  excellent  manoeuvre  of  taking  possession  of  the 
Moral,  they  defended  themselves  without  any  mate- 
rial damage,  until  the  succours  came.  The  na- 
tives did  not  attempt  to  molest  the  boats  in  their 
debarkation  of  our  people,  which  we  much  won- 
dered at,  and  they  soon  joined  the  others  upon  the 
Moral,  amounting  in  the  whole  to  about  sixty.  Mr 
Phillips,  notwithstanding  his  wound,  was  present, 
and  in  conjunction  with  Lieutenant  King  carried 
the  chief  command.  The  plan  was  to  act  only  de- 
fensively, until  we  could  get  our  mast  into  the  wa- 
ter, to  tow  off,  and  our  tents  into  the  boats ;  and 
as  soon  as  that  was  effected,  to  return  on  board. 
This  we  did  in  about  an  hour's  time,  but  not  with- 
out killing  a  number  of  the  natives,  who  resolutely 
attacked  us,  and  endeavoured  to  mount  the  walls  of 
the  Morai,  where  they  were  lowest ;  but  being  oppos- 
ed with  our  skill  in  such  modes  of  attack,  and  the 
great  superiority  of  our  arms,  they  were  even  re- 
pulsed with  loss,  and  at  length  retreated  among  the 
houses  adjacent  to  the  Morai,  which  affording  a 
good  opportunity  to  retreat  to  our  boats,  we  embrac- 
ed it,  and  got  off  all  well.  Our  mast  was  taken  on 
the  booms,  and  repaired  there,  though  to  disadvan- 
tage." 

This  account  is  the  more  valuable,  as  having 
been  drawn  up  by  one,  who  had  a  personal  knowl- 
edge of  all  that  passed.  Neither  Captain  King,  nor 
Captain  Burney,  each  of  whom  has  described  the 
transactions,  was  on  shore  with  Cook.  Nor  indeed, 
as  hinted  above,  can  it  be  inferred  with  certainty 
from  anything  Ledyard  says,  that  he  was  in  that 


".*i"-^~-"  - 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


Ill 


part  of  the  fray.  But  the  confidence  and  particu- 
larity with  which  he  speaks  would  seem  to  indicate 
actual  observation.  We  have  Captain  Burney's 
testimony,  moreover,  which  may  be  deemed  con- 
clusive. He  says,  that  "  Cook  landed  with  Lieu- 
tenant Molesworth  Phillips  of  the  marines.  Sergeant 
Gibson,  Corporals  Thomas  and  Ledyard,  and  six 
private  marines,  being  in  the  whole  eleven  per- 
sons."* It  follows,  that  Ledyard  must  have  been 
near  Cook  from  the  time  he  left  the  ship  till  he  was 
killed,  and  that  he  heard  and  saw  distinctly  all  that 
happened.  Four  marines  were  killed,  three  wound- 
ed, and  three  escaped  unhurt,  of  which  last  number 
he  was  one. 

After  this  melancholy  catastrophe,  the  ships  re- 
mained six  days  in  the  harbour,  till  the  defective  mast 
was  repaired,  and  a  supply  of  water  obtained.  This 
latter  was  effected  with  difficulty,  however,  as  the 
watering  parties  were  repeatedly  assailed  by  the  na- 
tives, and  skirmishes  ensued.  It  may  well  be  im- 
agined, therefore,  that  the  hour  of  departure  was 
hailed  with  joy  by  all  on  board.  They  passed  ten 
days  more  among  the  islands,  and,  the  water  on 
board  being  bad,  a  fresh  supply  was  procured  at  the 
island  of  Atui.  The  season  being  now  advanced, 
and  everything  in  readiness,  they  launched  out 
again  into  the  great  ocean,  pursuing  a  northerly 
course,  with  the  design  of  making  a  second  attempt 
to  explore  the  polar  regions,  in  search  of  a  northwest 
passage.  In  six  weeks  they  approached  the  shore 
of  Kamtschatka,  and  anchored  in  the  harbour  of  St 
Peter  and   St  Paul.     The  result  of  the  expedition 


*  Chronological  History  of  Northeastern  Voyages  of  Disco  very, 
p.  260. 


112 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


is  well  known.  They  passed  through  Bering's 
Strait,  and  groped  among  islands  of  ice  in  a  high 
latitude,  but  with  no  better  success,  than  the  year 
before.  They  touched  again  at  Kamtschatka  on 
their  return,  and,  proceeding  by  the  way  of  Chi- 
na and  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  they  reached 
England,  after  an  absence  of  four  years  and  three 
months. 

Many  facts  and  speculations  in  our  traveller's  jour- 
nal, not  a  little  curious  in  themselves,  have  been 
omitted  in  the  preceding  sketch,  because  they 
would  occupy  a  space  not  consistent  with  the  na- 
ture or  limits  of  the  present  memoir.  I  am  tempted, 
however,  in  this  connexion  to  quote  his  remarks  on 
the  mode  in  which  the  South  Sea  Islands  were 
probably  first  peopled.  The  subject  has  since 
been  much  discussed  by  philosophers  and  geogra- 
phers, but  no  one  before  him  had  examined  it  with 
views  so  much  enlarged  by  experience  and  observa- 
tion ;  and  it  is  beUeved  he  was  the  first  to  advance 
the  opinion,  that  the  inhabitants  of  those  islands, 
scattered  as  they  are  through  an  ocean  of  vast  ex- 
tent, "  were  derived  from  one  common  origin." 
Of  this  he  will  not  allow  tliat  there  is  any  room  for 
doubt,  and  the  only  question  is,  whether  they  came 
from  Asia  or  America.  Whichever  way  this  ques- 
tion may  be  answered,  there  will  remain  objections 
not  easy  to  be  removed,  if  we  attempt  to  find  out  a 
resemblance  in  every  peculiarity  of  character  and 
manners,  or  to  explain  obvious  differences.  He 
does  not  pretend  to  solve  the  problem,  but  only  to 
throw  out  such  hints  illustrative  of  the  subject  as  oc- 
curred to  him,  and  as  tend  to  establish  the  possibility, 
that  an  emigration  from  either  of  the  continents 
might  have  reached  to  all  the  islands,  without  any 


\^. 


i 


r'lfli'  "y  avj  lyjpaiAf  tr.  f.yw '?■''"■ 


pww/ 


.  t 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


US 


Other  means  of  transportation,  than  such  as  the  peo- 
ple themselves  possessed.  ^^   .i»^'».  - 

"  The  New-Zealanders  say  their  ancestors  came 
from  an  island  called  Hawyjee ;  now  Owyhee,  as 
we  carelessly  pronounce  it,  is  pronounced  by  its  in- 
habitants Hawyhee.  This  is  a  curious  circumstance, 
and  admits  of  a  presumption,  that  the  island  of  Owy- 
hee, or  Hawyhee,  is  the  island  from  which  the 
New-Zealanders  originally  emigrated.  It  super- 
sedes analogical  evidence.  But  Owyhee  is  in  twen- 
ty north,  and  New  Zealand  is  in  forty  south,  and 
not  above  three  hundred  leagues  distant  from  the 
southern  parts  of  New  Holland,  and  is  besides  situ- 
ated in  the  latitudes  of  variable  winds,  which  admit 
of  emigrations  from  any  quarter.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  languages  of  Owyhee  and  New  Zealand 
were  originally  the  same,  and  as  much  alike  as  that 
of  Otaheite  and  New  Zealand  ;  not  to  mention  oth- 
er circumstances  of  the  like  kind.  Whereas  die 
languages  at  New  Zealand  and  New  Holland  have 
very  little  or  no  resemblance  to  each  other.  This 
difference,  with  many  others,  between  New  Zea- 
land and  New  Holland,  cannot  be  reconciled ;  but 
the  difficulties  that^may  arise  from  considering  the 
distance  between  New  Zealand  and  Owyhee  may 
be,  as  there  are  clusters  of  islands  that  we  know  of, 
and  there  may  be  others  unknown,  that  occupy,  at 
no  great  distance  from  each  other,  the  intermediate 
ocean  from  Owyhee  to  New  Zealand.  The  obvi- 
ous reasonings,  that  would  be  used  to  conclude  the 
New-Zealanders  emigrants  from  Owyhee,  would 
be,  first,  to  suppose  them  from  the  Friendly  Isles, 
then  the  Society  Isles,  and  then  the  Sandwich 
Isles ;  and  the  gradation  thus  formed  is  very  ration- 
al and  argumentative,  because  all  their  manners  and 
10* 


^ 


mm^ 


MM'4-*"--''^^ 


114 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


customs  have  the  same  cast.  Suppose,  then,  that 
the  islands  we  have  mentioned  were  peopled  from 
Owyhee,  and  suppose  it  to  be  the  first  island  settled, 
the  second  and  ultimate  question  is.  From  which  of 
the  continents,  America  or  Asia  ?  Its  situation  re- 
specting America,  and  the  trade  winds,  strongly 
intimate  from  that  continent,  for  it  is  twice  the  dis- 
tance from  Asia  that  it  is  from  America ;  and  a  ship, 
fitted  for  the  purpose  at  China,  which  is  in  a  paral- 
lel latitude,  would  be  more  than  two  months  in 
reaching  it,  and  we  must  suppose  the  emigrations 
that  respect  these  people  to  have  been  merely  fortu- 
itous J  but  a  canoe,  driven  by  stress  of  weather  from 
the  southern  part  of  California,  or  the  coast  of  N(  w 
Galicia,  the  opposite  parallel,  would  reach  Owyhee 
in  a  direct  course  in  half  the  time  or  less.  The 
distance  is  about  nine  hundred  leagues,  and  we  saw 
people  at  the  island  Watteeoo,  who  had  been  driven 
from  Otaheite  there,  which  is  five  hundred  leagues. 
"  But  if  we  suppose  Owyhee  peopled  from  South 
America,  we  shall  be  somewhat  disappointed  in  sup- 
porting the  conjecture  by  arguments,  that  respect 
their  manners  and  customs,  and  those  of  the  CaU- 
fornians,  Mexicans,  Peruvians,  or  Chilians.  There 
is  but  a  faint  analogy,  compared  with  that  which  we 
should  find  on  the  southeastern  coasts  of  Asia  in 
these  respects.  Let  us  then,  without  attending  to 
the  few  analogical  customs,  that  subsist  between  the 
Owyheeans  and  the  South-Americans,  reverse  our 
system  of  emigration.  Suppose  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Sandwich  Islands  to  have  come  from  the  Society 
Islands,  and  those  from  the  Friendly  Isles,  and  the 
New-Zealanders  from  them  ;  the  inhabitants  of  the 
Friendly  Isles  from  New  Caledonia,  from  the  New 
Hebrides,  New  Guinea,  Celebes,  Borneo,  Java,  or 


V\ 


\ . 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


115 


w 


Sumatra,  and  finally  from  the  continent  at  Malacca. 
Supposing  the  emigration  we  are  now  speaking  of  to 
have  taken  this  course,  the  most  apparent  argument 
in  its  favor  is,  the  proximity  of  the  several  islands 
to  each  other,  from  the  Friendly  Isles  to  the  conti- 
nent ;  but  its  sufficiency  will  abate,  if  we  consider 
emigrations,  as  I  think  they  are,  oftener  the  effects  of 
accident  than  previous  intention;  especially  when 
out  of  sight  of  land.  Besides,  it  is  evident  from 
ocular  proof,  that,  though  New  Guinea  and  New 
Holland  are  very  near  to  each  other,  there  has  never 
been  any  intercourse  between  them ;  and  yet,  from 
many  appearances,  there  seems  to  have  been  one 
between  New  Guinea,  the  New  Hebrides,  and  the 
Friendly  Isles.,  akhough  farther  distant  from  each 
other.  There  is  indeed  no  remarkable  similarity  in 
the  people,  customs,  and  manners  of  New  Guinea 
and  the  Friendly  Isles,  but  an  exact  conformity  be- 
tween the  domestic  animals  and  vegetable  produc- 
tions of  both  countries.  Some  fruits,  that  we  call 
tropical,  are  peculiar  to  all  places  within  the  tropics ; 
but  bread-fruit  is  nowhere  known,  but  among  these 
islands  and  the  islands  further  northward  on  the 
coast  of  Asia.  It  is  not  known  at  New  Holland,  but 
it  is  at  New  Guinea.  Therefore,  wherever  I  can 
find  this  bread-fruit  in  particular,  I  shall  suppose  an 
intercourse  to  have  once  subsisted,  and  the  more  so, 
when  I  find  a  correspondent  agreement  between  the 
animals  of  different  places ;  and  it  ought  to  be  re- 
membered also,  that  there  are  no  other  animals 
throughout  those  islands,  unless  they  are  near  the 
continent ;  those  remote  islands  have  no  other.  It 
is  the  same  with  their  vegetables.  The  remote 
islands  have  no  water-melons,  guavas,  and  such  oth- 
er fruits.  '   -■        'v  iot'"^   f-»;i..*f;uM^-'TO-M   io 


fv 


I 


1 


116 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LSDYARD. 


I    \ 


')? 


"  These  observations  will  essentially  apply  to  the 
circumstances  of  emigration.  A  canoe,  in  passing 
along  its  own  coast,  or  visiting  a  neighbouring  island, 
would  take  on  board  a  hog,  a  dog,  a  fowl,  and  bread- 
fruit for  subsistence,  in  preference  to  a  monkey,  a 
snake,  or  a  guava ;  and  if  the  canoe  is  driven  acci- 
dentally on  some  foreign  island,  they  turn  to  greater 
advantage." 

Since  these  remarks  were  written  there  have  been 
many  opportunities  for  further  discovery,  but  very 
little  has  been  added  to  the  stock  of  knowledgd  on 
the  subject.     The  missionaries,  during  a  residence 
of  thirty  years  in  the  Society  Islands,  have  found 
nothing  among  the  traditions  or  customs  of  the  peo- 
ple, from  which  their  origin  can  be  deduced.     It  was 
supposed  for  a  time,  that  the  languages  of  the  island- 
ers in  the  Pacific  Ocean  would  afford  a  clue,  that 
might  lead  to  a  solution  of  the  difficulty ;  but  hitherto 
all  inquiries  in  this  quarter  have  failed,  and  con- 
tributed rather  to  confirm  than  diminish  the  uncer- 
tainty, which  existed  at  first.     It  is  proved,  that  in 
all  the  islands,  constituting  that  portion  of  the  globe 
denominated  in  recent  geography  Polynesia,  a  mul- 
titude of  dialects  prevail,  which  have  so  near  an 
affinity  to  each  other,  as  to  make  it  demonstratively 
certain,  that  they  all  sprang  from  the  same  stock. 
It  is  moreover  remarkable,  mat  none  of  these  dia- 
lects, which  has  as  yet  been  examined,  bears  any 
analogy  to  other  known  languages,  except  those  in 
use  among  the  natives  of  these  islands.     It  is  true, 
UiHt  in  the  Friendly  Islands,  New  Zealand,  and 
some  others  bordering  on  the  Asiatic  islands,  a  few 
Malayan  words  are  intermixed  with  the  Polynesian, 
but  so  sparingly  as  to  make  a  very  small  part  only 
of  the  whole,  and  with  characteristics  plainly  mdi- 


:' 


M 


:* 


m: 


1  fe.*     ,."  'Pji 


f   ' 


LIFE  OP  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


117 


eating  their  foreign  origin.  If  we  may  iudge  from 
the  grammars  prepared  by  the  missionaries,  as  well 
as  from  their  own  declarations,  very  few  languages 
are  more  widely  different  in  their  principles,  struc- 
ture, and  vocabulary,  than  the  Malayan  and  Polyne- 
sian. No  argument,  therefore,  drawn  from  the 
analogy  of  languages,  any  more  than  from  striking 
traits  of  character  in  the  people,  can  be  urged  to 
prove  the  Pol3mesians  to  have  come  originally  from 
the  islands  on  the  south  of  Asia. 

The  same  may  be  said  in  regard  to  northern  Asia, 
and  South  America.  No  resemblances  in  language 
have  been  dbcovered,  and  very  slight  ones  only  in 
prevailing  customs ;  and  these,  after  all,  may  be 
accidental.  Malte-Brun  is  opposed  to  the  tJieory  of 
an  emigration  from  South  America,  on  the  ground, 
that  the  islands  nearest  the  coast  are  not  inhabited. 
But  this  reason  has  very  little  weight.  In  the  first 
place,  these  islands  are  small,  and  would  thus  be  the 
less  likely  to  be  met  by  canoes,  floating  at  random 
over  the  ocean,  which  was  undoubtedly  the  condi- 
tion of  the  first  emigrants ;  and  in  the  next  place, 
they  are  sterile,  and  might  not  have  afforded  sub- 
sistence to  people  landing  on  them.  Again,  these 
islands  are  not  in  clusters,  but  scattered  remotely 
from  each  other,  and  many  casualties  may  be  ima- 
gined by  which  settlers  on  them  might  have  been  cut 
off,  even  if  accident  had  thrown  them  there.  In 
short,  little  can  be  said,  as  to  the  mode  of  the  first 
peopling  of  the  Polynesian  islands,  with  any  ap- 
proach to  certainty.  The  study  of  the  language, 
which  the  missionaries  are  now  prosecuting,  will 
open  a  new  channel  of  investigation,  from  which 
some  favorable  results  may  be  hoped.  Nothing  will 
probably  put  the  question  beyond  controversy,  but 


»■•#''"  *  *•**  ;f^''*^'''"'*r"?J'. 


^^•^■^SiZSSMi&rJSt 


m 


([     .\ 


II  t 


118 


LIFE  or  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


the  discovery  of  a  language  among  some  of  the 
tribes  of  Asia,  or  America,  which  bears  a  close  re-'  I 
semblance  to  the  Polynesian.  As  no  written  me-^ 
morials  of  the  languages  of  these  tribes  remain,  if 
it  should  have  happened,  that  the  nation  from  which 
the  islanders  descended  has  become  extinct,  togeth- 
er with  its  language,  which  is  most  likely  to  be  the 
case,  the  problem  must  go  down  to  future  ages,  a 
theme  only  for  ingenious  conjecture  and  speculation. 
When  the  prevalence  of  the  trade  wind  is  consider- 
ed, always  setting  towards  the  west,  the  probability 
of  a  migration  from  America  is  much  stronger,  than 
of  one  from  Asia.  Ledyard  considers  the  emigra- 
tion to  have  been  compafiatively  recent,  because  the 
islands  are  volcanic,  having  been  formed  by  violent 
eruptions  from  the  earth  ;  and  many  centuries  must 
have  elapsed  after  such  an  event,  before  they  could 
be  habitable. 

The  journal,  which  has  now  passed  under  our 
notice,  can  in  no  respect  be  regarded  as  a  complete 
narrative  of  Cook's  Third  Voyage.  It  was  written, 
as  heretofore  stated,  under  many  disadvantages,  in 
haste,  and  without  the  aid  of  the  author's  original 
notes ;  and  to  all  appearance  the  manuscript  was 
printed  without  his  correction  and  supervision.  The 
part  prepared  by  himself  breaks  off,  indeed,  more 
than  a  year  before  the  end  of  the  voyage,  and  was 
probably  filled  out  by  the  publisher  from  the  brief 
account  before  printed  in  England.  Ledyard's  de- 
scriptions agree  in  the  main,  however,  with  those 
contained  in  the  large  work,  which  afterwards  ap- 
peared under  the  authority  of  the  Admiralty. 
Occasional  differences  will  of  course  naturally  be 
expected,  when  we  take  into  view  the  different  cir- 
cumstances under  which  the  commanding  officer, 


# 


i  I 


k 


.     .V 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


119 


3 


and  a  corporal  of  marines,  would  observe  the  objects 
and  events  they  described.  The  latter  was  often  in 
situations  to  witness  and  (Contemplate  occurrences, 
which  could  not  come  to  the  knowledge  of  the 
former,  and  which,  on  a  mind  acute  and  observing 
like  his,  would  make  impressions  worthy  to  be  re* 
corded.  Nor  is  it  any  disparagement  of  the  other 
writers  to  say,  that  several  of  Ledyard's  descriptions 
of  the  manners  and  peculiarities  of  the  natives  are 
written  with  a  vivacity,  discrimination,  and  force, 
which  they  have  not  equalled.  He  utters  his  own 
sentiments  with  a  boldness,  and  expresses  himself 
with  a  confidence,  that  convince  us  of  his  sinceri^, 
honest  zeal,  and  mental  vigor,  even  when  we  cannot 
assent  to  his  opinions.  He  sometimes  censures  his 
superiors  in  office  with  a  freedom  not  altogether 
commendable,  and  imagines  them  to  have  been  ac- 
tuated by  motives,  which  could  scarcely  exist.  This 
may  be  perceived  in  the  tone,  which  pervades  some 
of  the  extracts  quoted  above.  His  station  was  not 
one,  in  which  he  .could  be  acquainted  with  the  views 
and  plans  of  the  commander;  and  yet  his  inquisitive 
temper,  and  high  sense  of  his  dignity  as  a  man, 
prompted  him  to  think  for  himself,  and  put  much 
reliance  in  the  conclusions  of  his  own  mind.  When 
these  were  thwarted,  as  they  often  would  be,  it  was 
natural  that  he  should  suppose  his  superiors  in  an 
error,  especially  if  ill  consequences  resulted  from 
their  measures. 

He  was  accustomed  to  speak  with  high  respect  of 
Captain  Cook,  although  he  thought  his  proceedings 
towards  the  natives  sometimes  rash,  and  even  un- 
justifiable. But  this  was  no  more  than  has  been 
thought  by  many  others.  Nobody  has  ever  doubted 
the  purity  of  Cook's  intentions,  or  his  humanity ; 


\  / 


IMkM>»-1M|M|M 


^"nn"(V''?r^^,''''"" '''^'^''*^'<^VRT?PTrj'-^¥7r«rp''  -v;^' 


120 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


but  he  adopted  a  system  of  conduct  towards  the 
savages,  especially  in  punishing  slight  offences,  the 
policy  and  good  effects  of  which  were  less  obvious 
to  others  than  to  himself.  Pilfering  was  so  univer- 
sal in  all  the  South  Sea  islands,  that  it  was  hardly 
recognised  in  the  moral  code  of  the  natives  as  an 
offence,  much  less  a  crime ;  yet  he  invariably  pun- 
ished transgressions  of  this  kind  with  severity.  A 
long  course  of  experience  had  confirmed  the  navi- 
gator in  this  system,  and  he  practised  it  usually  with 
success.  We  have  seen  how  he  applied  it  in  the 
case  of  Feenou,  who  stole  the  peacocks  at  Tongata- 
boo,  and  many  similar  instances  might  be  cited.  It 
was  his  rigid  adherence  to  this  course,  in  fact,  which 
at  last  caused  his  death ;  for  he  landed  at  Kiverua 
with  the  express  purpose  of  enticing  the  old  king  oa 
board,  that  he  might  retain  him  there  as  a  hostage, 
till  the  stolen  boat  should  be  given  up.  The  opin- 
ions of  Ledyard  on  this  head,  therefore,  though 
sometimes  expressed  with  earnestness,  argue  no  dis- 
respect or  want  of  esteem  for  the  commander, 
whom  he  honored  for  the  high  station  to  which  his 
merits  had  raised  him,  and  whom  he  admired  foir 
his  many  great  and  good  qualities. 

^!ail'\  rA  b.:;c.w     ,■',     ■    ''■    ■■■:         ■    hr 


:  t 


I    J 


I  »■  ■  i 


1; 


'iSa, 


LWlAl 


-■^ — 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


121 


-•:/<  in  nor 

CHAPTER  VI. 

.uf;sj">?j/i  vii;; 

ibiJtS   Uh'i  AiHr   r,^^''iUi 

.(>    ,  i.>/fr(U   ',. 

Ledyard  returns  to  America. — Interview  with  his  mother  after  an 
absence  of  eight  years.— Passes  the  winter  in  Hartford,  and 
writes  his  Journal  of  Cook's  Voyage. — Visits  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  to  concert  with  the  merchants  a  plan  of  a  commer- 
cial expedition. — Robert  Morris  agrees  to  engage  in  a  trading 
voyage,  under  his  direction,  to  the  Northwest  Coast. — Proceeds 
to  Boston,  and  afterwards  to  New  London  and  New  York,  to 

.  procure  a  vessel  for  the  purpose. — Failure  of  the  enterprise, 
after  a  year  had  been  spent  in  fruitless  attempts  to  carry  it  into, 
effect. — Letters  to  his  mother. — Makes  a  trial  in  New  London 
to  enlist  the  merchants  of  that  place  in  his  scheme. — Was  the 
first  to  propose  a  voyage  for  a  mercantile  adventure  to  the 
Northwest  Coast. — Sails  for  Cadiz. — Letters  from  that  city  con- 

'  taining  political  remarks. — Sails  for  L'Orient. — Makes  an  agrees 
ment  with  »  company  of  merchants  there  to  aid  him  in  suph  a 
voyage  as  he  had  proposed  in  America. — After  eight  months' 
preparation  it  is  given  up. — Goes  to  Paris. 

During  the  two  years  succeeding  our  traveller's 
arrival  in  England  from  Cook's  last  expedition,  he 
continued  in  the  navy,  but  what  rank  he  held,  or  on 
what  stations  he  served,  cannot  now  be  ascerte^ined. 
It  is  only  known,  that  he  refused  to  be  attached  to 
any  of  the  squadrons  which  came  out  to  America, 
giving  as  a  reason  that  he  would  not  appear  in  arms 
against  his  native  country.  Growing  weary,  how- 
ever, of  a  mode  of  life  little  suited  to  his  disposition, 
unless  in  some  adventurous  enterprise,  like  that 
from  which  he  had  lately  returned,  his  thoughts  be- 
gan to  wander  homeward,  and  to  dwell  on  the  scenes 
of  his  youthful  days.  Apparently  conquering  the 
scruples,  which  he  had  hitherto  urged  as  the  motives 
of  his  reluctance,  he  sought  the  first  opportunity  to 
be  transferred  to  the  American  station,  and  in  De- 
cember, 1782,  we  find  hhn  on  board  a  British  man- 
of-war  in  Huntington  Bay,  Long  Island  Sound. 

It  was  natural  that  his  first  impulse  should  be  to 
11 


'  ^^ 


122 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


11  .     '- 


visit  his  mother,  who  lived  at  Southold.     Ostensibly 
for  this  purpose  he  obtained  permission  of  seven 
days'  absence  from  the  ship,  but  evidently  intending 
to  return  no  more.     Long  Island  was  then  in  the 
possession  of  the  British.     He  remained  but  a  short 
time  among  his  old  acquaintances  at  Huntington^ 
where,  it  will  be  recollected,  in  his  theological  tour 
ten  years  before,  he  had  "  feasted  twelve  days  on 
Mr  Prime's  great  library."    From  this  place  he 
hastened  to  Southold,  and  the  first  interview  with  lii^i 
mother  is  represented  as  affecting.     She  kept  a 
boarding-house,  which  was  at  that  time  occupied 
chiefly  by  British  officers.     He  rode  up  to  the  door, 
alighted,  went  in,  and  asked  if  he  could  be  accom- 
modated in  her  house  as  a  lodger.     She  replied 
that  he  could,  and  showed  him  a  room  into  which 
his  baggage  was  conveyed.     After  having  adjusted 
his  dress,  he  came  out  and  took  a  seat  by  the  fire, 
in   company   with   several    other  officers,   without 
making  himself  known  to  his  mother,  or  entering 
into  conversation  with  any  person.     She  frequently 
passed  and  repassed  through  the  room,  and  her  eye 
was  observed  to  be  attracted  towards  him  v/ith  more 
than  usual  attention.     He  still  remained  silent.     At 
last,  after  looking  at  him  steadily  for  some  minutes, 
she  deliberately  put  on  her  spectacles,  approached 
nearer  to  him,  begging  his  pardon  for  her  rudeness, 
and  telling  him,  that  he  so  much  resembled  a  son  of 
hers,  who  had  been  absent  eight  years,  that  she 
could  not  resist  her  inclination  to  view  him  more 
closely.     The  scene  that  followed  may  be  imagined, 
but  not  described  ;  for  Ledyard  had  a  tender  heart, 
and  affection  for  his  mother  was  among  its  deepest 
and  most  constant  emotions. 

As  he  had  already  resolved  to  quit  the  British  ser- 


,y/., 


t, 


'Mi^tti._..:tllSBIiMii 


■'i- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


123 


vice,  being  persuaded  that  no  principles  of  justice  or 
honor  could  make  it  his  duty  to  act  with  the  ene- 
mies of  his  country,  he  thought  it  prudent  before  the 
seven  days  had  expired,  to  leave  his  mother's  house, 
and  go  over  to  the  continent.     The  recollections  of 
his   childhood  detained   him  a  short  time  at  New 
London  and  Groton,  and   he   then   proceeded  to 
Hartford,  where  after  a  ten  years'  wandering  in  the 
remotest  corners  of  the  globe,  he  received  the  cor- 
dial greetings  of  his  early  friends,  and  found  a  kind 
home  under  the  roof  of  his  uncle  and  former  guar- 
dian.    His  feelings  on  this  occasion  will  be  under- 
stood from  his  remarks  in  a  letter,  written  shortly 
after  he  reached  Hartford.     "  You  will  be  surprised 
to  hear  of  my  being  at  Hartford ;  I  am  surprised 
myself.      I  made  my  escape  from  the  British  at 
Huntington  Bay.     I  am  now  at  Mr  Seymour's,  and 
as  happy  as  need  be.     I  have  a  little  cash,  two  coats, 
three  waistcoats,  six  pair  of  stockings,  and  half  a 
dozen  ruffled  shirts.     I  am  a  violent  vi^hig  and  a  vio- 
lent tory.     Many  are  my  acquaintances.     I  eat  and 
drink  when  I  am  asked,  and  visit  when  I  am  invited  ; 
in  short,  I  generally  do  as  lam  bid.     All  I  want  of 
my  friends  is  friendship;  possessed  of  that,  I  am 
happy."    In  writing  to  other  persons  he  expresses 
similar  satisfaction,  and  although,  in  alluding  to  the 
toils  and  sufferings  he  had  undergone,  he  declares 
himself  to  have  been  worn  down  by  them  to  such  a 
degree,  as  to  make  his  person  so  "  perfect  a  con- 
trast to  beauty  or  elegance,  that  Hogarth  himself 
could  not  deform  it ; "  yet  he  writes  with  a  gaiety 
and  playfulness,  which  show  the  sorrows  of  the  past 
to  have  been  forgotten  in  the  felicity  of  the  present, 
and  that  no  gloomy  anticipations  of  the  future  were 
allowed  to  mingle  their  alloy. 


i'M 


■Kfl 


hr 


'"*       -V^       A^»-.,».     f* 


A- 


124 


I IFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


tr 


In  Hartford  he  remained  four  months,  that  is, 
from  the  first  of  January  till  about  the  first  of  May, 
in  which  period  he  wrote  the  Journal  of  Cook's 
Voyage.  In  this,  occupation,  and  in  visiting  his 
friends,  he  passed  the  winter.  His  restless  spirit 
could  be  tranquil  no  longer.  He  had  great  projects 
in  view,  which  he  was  impatient  to  see  executed. 
New  adventures  courted  his  fancy,  and  flattering 
hopes  as  usual  pressed  l.\im  forward  with  an  ardent, 
determined,  and  ceaseless  zeal.  Bidding  adieu  to 
his  friends  in  Hartford,  he  repaired  to  New  York, 
where  he  unfolded  his  plans  to  such  persons,  as  he 
thought  might  be  induced  to  patronize  them ;  but 
not  meeting  with  encouragement  adequate  to  his 
sanguine  expectations,  he  hastened  onward  to  Phila- 
delphia. He  had  but  just  arrived  in  that  city,  when 
he  described  his  condition  to  his  cousin,  Dr  Isaac 
Ledyard,  in  a  manner  so  characteristic,  that  no 
apology  will  be  necessary  for  quoting  the  letter  in. 

full.         ftjr;  -U/^V  l;l'/i^'-;    4  r:v   \       ' .:'^ih>:  '.  ■■M\n\   iA^<  .1 


"  The  day  after  I  parted  with  you,  I  took  the 
Bordenton  route,  and  the  next  morning  landed  at 
the  Crooked  Billet,  where  I  breakfasted,  and  sallied 
out  to  view  the  nakedness  of  things^here.  I  first 
went  to  McClanagan ;  he  had  no  navigation ;  next 
to  two  other  houses,  but  to  no  purpose.  I  then 
went  among  the  shipping,  and  examined  them  pretty 
thoroughly.  I  doubt  that  I  should  even  be  put  to  it 
to  get  to  sea  before  the  mast.  The  most  of  the 
shipping  here  are  foreigners.  Sixteen  sail  of  seven 
different  maritime  powers  arrived  a  few  days  ago. 
Fourteen  sailors  went  out  to  the  northward  the 
morning  I  arrived,  for  want  of  employ,  and  numbers 
are  strolling  the  docks  on  the  same  account.  There 
is  at  present  little  home  navigation. 


.1  ILIIi.lll" 


r-  I , 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


125 


**  After  a  walk  of  about  four  hours  I  returned  to 
my  quarters,  asked  for  a  room  to  change  my  dress, 
and  went  up  and  counted  my  cash ;  turned  it  over 
and  looked  at  it ;  shook  it  in  my  hand ;  recounted  it, 
and  found  two  French  crowns,  half  a  crown,  one 
fourth  of  a  dollar,  one  eighth  of  a  dollar,  and  just 
twelve  coppers.  Shall  I  visit  H.'s  ?  I  looked  at  my 
stockings ;  they  will  do ; — my  shoes — if  I  look  that 
way,  my  two  crowns  and  I  shall  part.  We  did 
part, — I  put  my  new  pumps  on,  washed,  shaved,  and 
went  to  H.'s,  where  I  had  determined  not  to  go. 
Mr  H.  is  now  waiting  for  his  horse ;  he  is  going  to 
Princeton.  This  will  go  by  him.  I  am  at  a  loss 
whether  to  say  any  thing  about  money  here,  or  de- 
pend upon  this  letter  meeting  you  at  Princeton,  wait 
the  return  of  Mr  H.,  the  chance  he  has  of  seeing 
you,  or — I  don't  know  what  to  do. — ^I  am  determin- 
ed. Send  me  either  by  Mr  H.  or  the  first  convey- 
ance— some  cash.     Adieu."       f-  ■•:  •i-umyv!  oi  hi{p.l 

In  this  state  of  embarrassment  he  continued  for 
several  days,  seeking  employment  without  success, 
mortified  at  the  defeat  of  all  his  purposes,  and  cha- 
grined that  his  schemes  should  be  so  coldly  received 
by  those,  whom  he  had  fondly  hoped  would  under- 
stand and  promote  them.  By  another  letter,  how- 
ever, written  two  or  three  weeks  after  the  above,  it 
would  appear,  that  a  gleam  of  light  was  breaking  in 
upon  him,  and  that  his  perseverance  had  not  been 
wholly  fruitless.     He  writes  again  to  his  cousin  j 

"  It  is  uncertain  by  what  medium  of  conveyance 
this  may  reach  you.  I  design  it  for  the  Amboy 
House,  and  thence  to  Middletown.  A  duplicate 
will  be  directed  to  Princeton.  It  is  abundantly 
manifest,  that  this  argues  anxiety,  and  of  so  intense 
a  kind  too,  as  to  prompt  a  wish  for  the  possibility  of 
11* 


'    / 


126 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


^ 


the  annihilation  of  time  and  distance.     I  have  been 
so  often  the  sport  of  fortune,  that  I  durst  hardly 
credit  the  present  dawn  of  bright  prospects.     But  it 
is  a  fact,  that  the  Honorable  Robert  Morris  is  dispos- 
ed to  give  me  a  ship  to  go  to  the  North  Pacific 
Ocean.     I  have  had  two  interviews  with  him  at  the 
Finance  Office,  and  to-morrow  I  expect  a  conclusive 
one.     What  a  noble  hold  he  instantly  took  of  the 
enterprise  !    I  have  been  two  days,  at  his  request, 
drawing  up  a  minute  detail  of  a  plan,  and  an  esti- 
mate of  the  outfits,  which  I  shall  present  him  with 
to-morrow ;  and  I  am  pleased  to  find,  that  it  will  be 
two  thousand  pounds  less  than  one  of  his  own.     I 
take  the  lead  of  the  gre3test  commercial  enterprise, 
that  has  ever  been  embarked  on  in  this  country ;  and 
one  of  the  first  moment,  as  it  respects  the  trade  of 
America.    If  the  affair  is  concluded  on,  as  I  expect 
it  will  be,  it  is  probable  I  shall  set  off  for  New  Eng- 
land to  procure  seamen,  or  a  ship,  or  both.     Morris 
is  wrapt  up  in  the  idea  of  Yankee  sailors. 
.!?3  "  Necessity  has  overcome  my  delicacy.     I  have 
unbosomed  myself  to  H.  and  laid  my  poverty  open 
to  him.     He  has  reheved  me  for  the  piesent,  which 
I  have  told  him  to  draw  on  you  for.    Send  me  some 
money,  for  Heaven's  sake,  lest  the  laurel,  now  sus- 
pended over  the  brows  of  your  friend,  should  fall 
irrecoverably  into  the  dust.     Adieu."      f^ts  1>iik;  v 
tja:  The  enterprise  to  which  he  alludes  in  this  letter, 
as  having  been  concerted  with  Mr  Morris,  and  which 
had  occupied  his  thoughts  ever  since  his  return  from 
Cook's   expedition,  was  a  trading  voyage  to  the 
Northwest  Coast.     At  this  time  no  such  mercantile 
adventure  had  been  attempted,  either  in  this  country 
or  Europe,  nor  is  it  known  that  anything  of  the  kind 
had  ever  been  contemplated.     Ledyard's  knowledge 


■  V  •*,;;; 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


quest, 
esti- 
with 

^11  be 
I 


127 


of  the  resources  of  the  Northwest  Coast  in  furs, 
derived  from  his  observations  while  there,  particu- 
larly at  Nootka  Sound  and  the  Russian  establisl^- 
ment  on  the  island  of  Onalaska,  together  with  the 
enormous  advances,  which  he  had  seen  paid  in  Can- 
ton on  the  original  cost  of  this  article,  had  convinced 
him  that  great  profits  might  be  realized  by  a  voyage, 
fitted  out  expressly  for  this  trade.      Hitherto  no 
market  had  been  opened  to  the  natives,  by  which 
they  could  dispose  of  the  superabundance  of  their 
furs,  or  receive  such  articles  in  exchange,  as  might 
suit  their  fancy  or  convenience  j  hence  the  furs  could 
be  purchased  extremely  low,  and  paid  for  in  com- 
modities of  little  intrinsic  value,  and  at  such  prices 
as  the  vendor  might  choose  to  afiix.    It  was  clear, 
therefore,  in  his  mind,  that  th^y,  who  should  first  en- 
gage in  this  trade,  would  reap  immense  profits  by 
their  earliest  efforts,  and  at  the  same  time  gain  such 
knowledge  and  experience,  as  would  enable  them 
to  pursue  it  for  years  with  advantages  superior  to 
any,  that  could  be  commanded  by  the  competitors, 
who  might  be  drawn  into  the  saipe  channel  of  com- 
niercs*      v     .''■'■''■■'   --**'»  ','■■•   !t-.;av4t,i.ii;*    .-•.■.■s ,,<<.">■'!►(' 
_;  So  strong  had  grown  his  confidence  in  the  accu- 
racy of  his  opinions,  by  long  reflection  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  such  was  the  eagerness  of  his  desire  to 
prove  the  truth  of  his  theory  by  actual  experiment, 
that  he  applied  the  whole  energy  of  his  mind  and 
character  to  the  task  of  creating  an  interest  in  his 
project  among  the  merchants,  who  had  the  means  of 
carrying  it  into  effect,  and  without  whose  patronage 
nothing  could  be  done.     In  New  York  he  was  un- 
successful ;  his  scheme  was  called  wild  and  vision- 
ary, and  set  down  as  bearing  the  marks  rather  of  a 
warm  imaginatioii,  and  sanguine  temperament,  than 


%^ 


. 


m 


\ 


^l^Jtii^»3.ASp\  tik'SL 


128 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDVARf). 


of  a  sober  and  mature  judgment.  No  merchant  was 
found  willing  to  hazard  his  money,  or  his  reputation, 
in  an  adventure  so  novel  in  its  kind,  and  so  ques- 
tionable in  its  promise,  a  scheme  not  only  untried, 
but  never  before  thought  of.  His  first  inquiries  in 
Philadelphia  met  with  no  better  favor,  till  Mr  Robert 
Morris,  with  an  enlargement  of  mind  and  purpose, 
which  characterized  his  undertakings,  entered  into 
his  views,  and  made  arrangements  to  furnish  the 
outfits  of  a  voyage,  according  to  the  plan  he  drew 
up. 

The  first  thing  to  be  done  was  to  procure  a  ship 
suitable  for  such  a  voyage.  At  that  time  there  was 
none  unemployed  in  Philadelphia,  and  Ledyard  was 
despatched  to  Boston,  where  it  was  thought  a  pur- 
chase might  speedily  be  eflfected,  and  where  progress 
was  actually  made  in  the  preparation  of  a  vessel  for 
this  purpose  ;  but  for  some  cause  not  now  known,  it 
was  taken  for  a  voyage  of  a  different  kind.  He 
next  proceeded  to  New  London,  where  the  Conti- 
nental frigate,  Trumbull,  was  engaged  for  the  voy- 
age, but  this  ship  was  afterwards  diverted  to  another 
adventure,  suggested  by  this  plan.  The  Count 
d'Artois,  a  large  French  ship  then  lying  in  the  har- 
bour of  New  London,  was  next  thought  of,  but  was 
finally  otherwise  destined.  Again,  a  ship  in  New 
York,  of  about  three  hundred  tons,  was  provided  ; 
but  on  examination  it  proved  to  be  so  old  and  de- 
fective, that  it  was  condemned  as  unsafe  for  a  voy- 
age of  such  length  and  hazard.  The  season  was 
by  this  time  too  far  advanced  to  think  of  prosecut- 
ing the  voyage  before  the  next  spring.  Meantime 
Mr  Daniel  Parker  was  employed  to  purchase  a  ship 
in  New  York,  and  to  have  it  in  readiness  as  soon  as 
the  favorable  season  for  its  sailing  should  arrive.    A 


«'j'^o^«'g«f5?; 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


139 


0 


ship  was  procured  accordingly,  but  the  outfits  were 
delayed  from  time  to  time,  till  the  winter  passed  by, 
and  then  the  spring,  and  at  last  it  was  sent  on  an 
adventure  to  Canton.  Thus  a  year  was  spent,  in  a 
vexatious  and  fruitless  struggle  to  overco'-  •=)  difficul- 
ties, which  thickened  as  he  advanced,  till  his  ;>a- 
tience,  and  that  of  Mr  Morris  also,  would  seem  to 
have  been  exhausted,  for  the  voyage  was  altogether 
abandoned.  ,       "^rtv  mlMhUim 

While  he  was  in  New  London  negotiating  for  the 
ship  Trumbull,  after  his  return  from  Boston,  he  wrote 
a  letter  to  his  i-iother,  from  which  an  extract  here 
foUov/s. 

"  This  is  the  first  opportunity  in  reality,  which  I 
have  had  of  writing  to  you,  since  I  have  been  in  this 
country.  My  ambition  to  do  everything,  which  my 
disposition  as  a  man,  and  my  relative  character  as  a 
citizen,  and  more  tenderly  as  the  leading  descendant 
of  a  broken  and  distressed  family,  should  prompt  me 
to  do,  has  engaged  me  in  every  kind  of  speculation, 
which  afforded  the  least  probability  of  advancing  my 
interest,  my  happiness,  or  the  happiness  of  my 
friends.  These  different  engagements  have  led  me 
into  different  conditions;  sometimes  I  have  been 
elated  with  hope,  sometimes  depressed  with  disap- 
pointment and  distress.  I  postponed  informing  you 
of  my  circumstances,  indulging  the  constant  hope  of 
their  soon  being  better,  until  which  time  I  was  de- 
termined you  should  not  know  anything  particularly 
concerning  me.  If  that  time  is  now  arrived,  it  has 
been  more  from  the  influence  of  a  kind  Providence, 
than  my  own  merits.  Mv  prospects  at  present  are 
a  voyage  to  the  East  Indies,  and  eventually  round 
the  world.  It  will  be  of  two  or  three  years'  dura- 
tion.   If  I  am  successful,  I  shall  not  have  occasion 


I 


)\ 


■•»<*/?S|^,^„ 


130 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


y 


m 


I 


to  absent  myself  any  more  from  my  friends ;  but 
above  all,  I  hope  to  have  it  in  my  power  to  minister 
to  the  wants  of  a  beloved  parent,  and  others  who 
languish  and  fade  in  obscurity.  My  dear  sisters 
engage  my  tenderest  love,  and  solicitude  for  their 
future  welfare.  My  best  wish  is,  that  they  may  be 
educated  and  disposed  of  suitably  to  the  beauty  of 
their  persons,  and  their  excellent  hearts,  and  that  I 
could  be  instrumental  in  conferring  such  a  kindness. 
I  beg  my  brotherly  salutations  to  them.  Tell  them 
I  long  to  strew  roses  in  their  laps,  and  branches  of 
palm  beneath  their  feet." 

It  ought  to  be  recorded  in  this  place,  that  while 
Ledyard  was  in  New  York,  anxiously  waiting  for  a 
vessel,  his  embarrassments,  occasioned  by  the  want 
of  money,  were  often  relieved,  in  a  spirit  of  great 
kindness,  by  Mr  Comfort  Sands.  This  gentleman 
became  acquainted  with  him  in  Philadelphia,  and 
early  approved  and  promoted  the  enterprise,  which 
he  had  in  contemplation ;  he  proposed  sending  an 
adventure  by  the  same  voyage,  and  during  the  whole 
preparation  rendered  him  essential  services,  for 
which  it  is  believed  he  never  received  any  other  re- 
turns, than  such  as  always  attend  the  consciousness 
of  benevolent  acts,  and  of  having  aided  the  advance- 
ment of  large  and  useful  designs. 

Not  discouraged  by  the  ill  fortune,  which  he  had 
so  signally  experienced,  Ledyard  resolved  not  to 
relinquish  his  purpose,  till  he  had  made  other  trials 
to  carry  it  forward.  He  repaired  to  New  London, 
and  suggested  the  same  adventure  to  persons  of  com- 
mercial pursuits  in  that  port.  He  was  particularly 
strenuous  in  persuading  Captain  Deshon,  who  owned 
a  fine  new  ship  then  lying  in  the  harbour,  and  well 
constructed  for  such  a  voyage,  to  embark  with  him 


•;  I 


^^^--w-fj-- 


'  '*■-».(?•*-''"*  -^■' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


181 


in  a  trading  expedition  to  the  Northwest  Coast. 
Captain  Deshon  was  the  nephew  of  the  commander 
of  the  vessel,  in  which  Ledyard  sailed  to  Gibraltar, 
and  although  at  that  lime  a  youth,  he  was  himself  on 
board  in  the  service  of  his  uncle.  A  friendship  had 
ever  afterwards  subsisted  between  the  two  voyagers, 
and  Captain  Deshon  was  now  wilHng  to  join  with  his 
friend  in  an  mercantile  adventure,  which  should 
seem  to  him  practicable,  safe,  and  affording  a  rea- 
sonable prospect  of  gain.  But  Ledyard  drew  so 
glowing  a  picture  of  the  advantages  to  be  derived 
from  his  projected  voyage,  the  trifling  value  of  the 
articles  necessary  for  an  outward  cargo,  and  the  im- 
mense advances  that  would  be  received  on  the  price 
of  the  articles  purchased ;  in  short,  his  enthusiasm 
gave  so  bright  a  coloring  to  his  representations,  and 
such  amplitude  to  his  hopes,  that  Captain  Deshon 
could  not  so  far  resist  the  dictates  of  prudence,  as 
to  participate  in  feelings  and  views,  which  he  deem- 
ed little  short  of  romantic,  and  as.  more  strongly 
tinged  with  the  native  warmth  of  his  character,  than 
with  that  trait  of  miui\  which  weighs  and  deliberates 
cautiously  before  it  resolves.  It  is  needless  to  add, 
that,  under  these  impressions,  he  could  not  prevail 
on  himself  to  second  his  friend's  wishes  ;  yet  he  was 
afterwards  heard  to  say,  that  Ledyard's  account,  in 
its  minutest  details,  was  verified  by  the  first  voyages 
of  that  kind  from  the  United  States,  and  that  he  had 
often  regretted  his  not  having  hstened  to  him,  and 
prosecuted  the  voyage  in  compliance  with  his  soli- 
citation. As  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  Ledyard's 
views  of  the  subject,  both  as  unfolded  in  the  trans- 
actions vith  Mr  Morris  and  with  Captain  Deshon, 
accorded  exactly  with  those  acted  upon  by  the  first 
adventurers,  who  were  rewarded  with  extraordinary 


'A 


132 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


I! 


(i 


success.  It  was  a  part  of  his  plan  to  purchase 
lands  of  the  natives,  and  establish  a  factory,  or  colo- 
ny, for  the  purpose  of  a  continued  intercourse  and 
trade. 

Weary  of  making  fruitless  applications  in  his  own 
country,  Ledyard  determined  to  embark  for  Europe, 
where  he  might  expect  better  patronage  from  larger 
capitalists,  and  in  a  wider  field  of  commercial  activ- 
ity. Mr  Morris  had  made  him  some  compensation 
for  the  time  he  had  spent  in  his  service,  and  favored 
him  with  several  letters  of  recommendation  to  emi- 
nent merchants  abroad,  particularly  in  France. 
He  took  passage  in  a  vessel  from  New  London, 
bound  to  Cadiz.  On  the  first  of  June,  1784,  he 
wrote  as  follows  to  his  mother. 

"  Since  I  saw  you  last,  I  have  passed  through  a 
great  many  difficulties,  and  disappointments,  which 
my  most  intimate  friends  are,  and  must  be  for  the 
present,  at  least,  unacquainted  with,  as  it  will  answer 
no  good  purpose  to  break  their  repose,  or  add  to  my 
cares,  by  reflecting  on  what  is  past,  and  thence  antici- 
pating evil.  You  have  no  doubt  heard  of  my  very 
great  disappointment  at  New  York.  For  a  moment, 
all  the  fortitude,  that  ten  years'  misfortune  had 
taught  me,  could  hardly  support  me.  I  am  now 
very  well  in  health.  This  will  probably  be  the  last 
letter  I  shall  write  you  from  this  country.  I  shall 
sail  within  twelve  days  for  Spain,  whence  I  expect 
to  go  to  France,  and  there  again  to  renew  the  busi- 
ness I  was  so  unfortunate  in  at  New  York.  If  I 
succeed  in  my  wishes,  it  may  be  two  or  three  years 
before  I  return.  In  this  interim,  I  pray  you  to  give 
me  your  blessing  and  your  prayers.  My  sisters  I 
hope  are  well,  and  beg  them  to  accept  a  brother's 
love.     Please  to  present  my  kind  love  to  ray  broth- 

m 


ribtefei.' 


?.^3r«5ai**=«*^-  --"■ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


133 


ers.     May  that  Being,  who  is  infinitely  great  and  in- 
finitely good,  bo  the  friend  of  them  and  of  us  all." 

He  sailed  for  Spain,  'as  here  intimated,  shortly  af- 
ter writing  this  letter,  having  been  the  first,  whether 
in  America  or  Europe,  to  suggest  a  scheme  of  trade 
with  the  Northwest  Coast,  which  has  since  proved 
to  be  a  very  lucrative  field  of  commerce  to  merchants 
in  both  hemispheres.  It  was  more  than  a  year  af- 
ter his  earhest  application  to  the  merchants  in  New 
York,  before  any  expedition  of  the  kind  was  fitted 
out  from  Europe.  The  first  voyage  from  the  Uni- 
ted States  to  the  Northwest  Coast  was  in  the  ship 
Columbia,  of  three  hundred  tons,  which  sailed  from 
Boston  under  the  command  of  Captain  John  Ken- 
drick,  about  three  years  after  Ledyard's  visit  to  that 
place,  in  search  of  a  ship  for  Mr  Morris.  He  may 
justly  be  considered,  therefore,  the  first  projector  of 
this  branch  of  commerce.  Captain  Kendrick  so  far 
adopted  his  ulterior  purpose,  as  to  purchase  lands 
of  the  natives,  with  a  view  of  founding  a  colony  there, 
when  a  proper  occasion  should  offer.  To  this  end 
he  took  formal  deeds  of  the  land,  confirmed  by  the 
signs  manual  of  the  chiefs,  who  claimed  the  territo- 
ry.* To  some  of  his  friends,  Leyard  mentioned 
his  intention  of  leaving  the  ship  on  the  coast,  when 
the  cargo  should  be  obtained,  it  id  exploring  the 
country  over  land  from  Nooiku  Sound,  or  some 
point  farther  north,  across  to  the  Mississippi  and 
Ohio  rivers,  thus  traversing  the  whole  space  be- 
tween the  Pacific  and  Atlantic  oceans.     Meantime 


■<^.%^^^ 


*  The  original  deeds  are  now  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  ol 
State  in  Washington.  In  company  with  the  Columbia  was  the 
Washington,  a  vessel  of  one  hundred  tons'  burden,  commanded 
by  Captain  Robert  Grey. 


'ii:. 


134 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


m 


the  vessel  was  to  proceed  to  China,  and  thence  to 
return  and  meet  him  in  New  York,  ready  for  anoth- 
er voyage. 

But  all  the  fine  prospects,  which  he  had  dwelt 
upon  in  anticipation,  are  to  be  given  up  for  the  pres- 
ent, and  we  must  follow  him  to  Europe.  The  pas- 
sage to  Cadiz  was  favorable  and  expeditious.  He 
does  not  seem  to  have  had  any  special  design  in 
visiting  Cadiz,  in  reference  to  the  main  object  of  his 
crossing  the  Atlantic.  This  destination  probably 
awaited  him,  in  consequence  of  an  opportunity  pre- 
senting itself  of  a  more  durect  passage  to  that  port, 
than  to  any  other  in  the  south  of  Europe.  L'Ori- 
ent  was  the  city,  which  he  intended  to  visit,  and  in 
which  he  had  been  encouraged  to  look  for  patr(Mis 
of  his  projected  enterprise.  He  had  been  furnished 
with  letters  to  wealthy  and  enterprising  merchants 
there,  and  he  made  all  haste  to  be  on  the  spot. 
Various  causes  of  delay  kept  him  in  Cadiz  more 
than  a  month.  This  time  he  filled  up  as  well  as  he 
could,  in  gaining  information  of  the  place,  of  its  re- 
sources and  trade,  and  of  the  manners  and  character 
of  the  people.  He  also  endeavoured  to  drive  away 
the  melancholy  thoughts,  incident  to  the  anxiety  of 
his  situation,  by  mingling  in  social  circles,  and  con- 
triving to  be  entertained  by  the  public  amusements, 
that  were  much  frequented  by  ail  ranks  of  people. 
On  the  sixteenth  of  August  he  wrote  thus  from  Ca- 
diz to  Dr  Ledyard. 

"  Just  as  I  was  seated,  and  had  dated  my  letter, 
the  carriage  of  General  O'Reilly  hove  in  view,  a 
clumsy,  gothic  vehicle,  dragged  by  five  jaded  mules 
to  the  bull-fight.  Who  is  General  O'Reilly  ?  A 
poor,  migrating,  Irish  cadet ;  a  soldier  that  was 
scalded  at  the  storm  of  Gibraltar.     O'Reilly  is  to 


,fe 


.<e-  ■■ 


*■•   :'!•  • 


* 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


135 


Cadiz,  and  all  within  his  jurisdiction,  which  consists 
of  two  provinces,  what  Czar  Peter  was  to  Russia. 
The  reform  he  has  made  in  the  minutest  parts  of 
his  government,  as  well  as  the  most  important,  is 
looked  upon  as  a  phenomenon  in  this  country.     He 
has,  with  a  boldness  that  characterizes  an  enterpris- 
ing commander  and  legislator,  even  struck  at  those 
old  habits  among  a  people,  so  dangerous  to  be  med- 
dled with.      Envy  is  the  natural   concomitant  of 
such  merit,    and    O'Reilly  has  probably   greater 
friends  and  enemies  at  the  court  of  Madrid,  than 
any  other  character  in  the  kingdom  ;  and  both  par- 
ties had  a  fair  opportunity  of  contesting  their  ascen- 
dency, after  the   miscarriage  of  the  late  descent 
against  the  Moors ;  but  his  conquering  his  court  en- 
emies at  home  fully  compensated  that  misfortune 
abroad,  and  confirmed  his  fame,  nay,  added  to  its 
lustre,*  To  execute  all  these  great  matters,  O'Reil- 
ly is  not  the  man  you  would  suppose.     His  educa- 
tion is  contracted;   he  is  capricious,  severe,   and 
arrogant ;  ordinary  in  his  person,  and  forbidding  in 
his  address.  '     'mmm' 

"  The  exhibition  of  the  bull-fights  is  in  a  spacious 
amphitheatre,  that  will  accommodate  twelve  thou- 
sand spectators.  The  horsemen  display  more  skill 
and  courage,  than  the  footmen.     But  it  is  a  barba- 


"  This  alludes  to  an  altack  by  the  Spaniards  on  Algiers  in  the 
year  1776.  A  formidable  armament  of  six  ships  of  the  line,  twelve 
frigates,  a  large  number  of  smaller  vessels,  and  twenty-five  thou- 
sand men,  all  under  the  command  of  the  Conde  de  O'Reilly, 
formed  that  expedition.  A  large  part  of  the  army  was  landed, 
and  a.  partial  battle  ensued,  in  which  the  Spaniards  met  with  a  sig- 
nal and  most  disgraceful  defeat.  Severe  censures  were  passed  on 
O'Reilly,  and  a  general  spirit  of  indignation  existed  against  him 
throughout  Spain,  but  the  weight  of  his  talents,  and  his  influence 
at  court,  enabled  him  to  triumph  over  his  enemies,  and  to  sustain 
himself  in  the  highest  stations. 


1: 


(^ 


.»- —  «,,.». 


.*,  *.  .»•  - 

tt^\  ... 


./. 


136 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYAHD. 


'■A:r 


rous  amusement.  There  are  many  Irish  inhabitants 
here,  all  of  whom  are  particularly  friendly  to  Amer- 
icans. I  am  now  writing  at  the  house  of  Mr  Har- 
■^-  rison,  handsomely  situated  on  the  side  of  the  Ala- 
meda. I  take  a  family  dinner  with  him  to-day,  hav- 
ing already  taken  a  formal  one.  The  British  consul 
also  receives  me  with  great  politeness.  But  what  I 
am  doing  among  these  gentry,  with  only  half  a  dollar 
and  four  reals  in  my  pocket,  you  must,  with  me, 
wait  for  time  to  develope.  I  shall  soon  leave  this 
place  for  France,  and  my  route  will  be  either  up 
the  Mediterranean  to  Marseilles,  and  thence  on  the 
grand  canal  west  to  Bourdeaux  ;  or  along  the  coast 
of  Spain  and  Portugal  by  sea.  I  yesterday  convers- 
ed with  an  EngUshman,  who  is  commissioned  to  treat 
privately  with  our  States  in  behalf  of  the  Emperor 
of  Morocco ;  but  if  I  can  persuade  him  to  send  his 
Arabic  commission  back,  and  join  me  with  his  cash 
and  importance  at  Bourdeaux,  or  Nantz — .  The 
preliminary  step  is  accomplished,  and  he  is  now 
somewhere  in  the  town  as  busy  in  the  affair,  as  a 
dozen  such  heads  as  mine  could  be." 

Since  no  more  is  heard  of  this  commissioner 
from  the  Emperor  of  Morocco,  it  is  presumed  the 
preliminary  step  was  the  only  one  taken  in  the  busi- 
ness. Ledyard  remained  in  Cadiz,  apparently  wait- 
ing for  a  passage  either  to  Marseilles,  or  to  some 
port  in  the  west  of  France,  as  chance  might  offer. 
He  wrote  to  his  friends,  communicating  his  observa- 
tions on  what  passed  around  him,  but  said  little  of  his 
own  circumstances  or  prospects.  The  remarks  now 
about  to  be  quoted,  are  contained  in  a  letter  written 
to  his  correspondent  in  America,  after  he  had  been 
two  weeks  at  Cadiz,  and  are  not  more  curious  for 
their  singularity,  than  for  the  historical  hints  they 


■^* 


i    ■ 


ft  ■ 


:k 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


137 


convey,  in  regard  to  the  state  of  knowledge  and 
feeling,  which  then  prevailed  in  the  south  of  Europe, 
respecting  the  United  States. 

"  The  people  in  this,  as  in  other  parts  of  Europe, 
are  mor*^  systematic  than  you  [Americans]  are  in 
every thmg.  Here  the  routine  of  life,  however  va- 
ried, is  still  uniform,  whether  composed  of  virtue  or 
vice,  wisdom  or  folly.  Before  dinner,  the  merchant, 
mechanic,  and  ordinary  laborer,  are  assiduously  in- 
tent on  their  different  employments.  After  dinner, 
they  as  regularly  devote  themselves  to  their  several 
gratifications,  which  consist  either  of  conversation  or 
sleep.  The  opulent  and  polite  adopt  the  first. 
At  a  polite  table,  therefore,  you  hear  the  very  best 
things  they  are  capable  of  saying.  Here,  then,  I 
am  told  you  err  in  your  politics  ;  I  mean  that  kind  of 
policy,  which  your  independence  has  given  birth  to. 
The  general  disapprobation  of  your  present  govern- 
ment on  this  srore,  is  the  sentiment  of  those,  who 
are  subjects  v  :'.3r  nations,  as  well  as  of  this  j  but 
I  am  happy  t-j  ?}  that  I  have  found  no  character, 
who  any  otherwise  thinks  ill  of  you.  This  is  ^idt  a 
negative  regard,  bestowed  on  a  people  they  dliiilk 
cannot  approximate  their  importance,  and  therefore 
deserve  pity ;  it  is  a  positive  one ;  and  you  may 
please  yourself  with  the  assurance  of  its  originating 
from  your  general  conduct  during  the  war.  Another 
feather  m  your  cap,  and  that  not  an  obscure  one, 
let  me  tell  you,  is  die  plain,  aflfable,  and  honest  de- 
portment of  your  kinsfolk,  who  sojourn  hereabout. 
Brother  Jonathan  is  an  agreeable  singularity. 
These  observations,  which  you  are  included  in,  did 
not  come  from  the  cabinet  of  Charles,  or  the  Pope, 
who  no  doubt  hate  you  very  sincerely ;  the  one  for 
12* 


.^m,:- 


■  i-w. 


.A 


f" 


/' 


r 

f'    l' 


I 


( 

I      1 

■1 

1 

^4 

■' 

138 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTARD. 


your  laws,  which  he  fears ;  and  the  other  for  your 
religion,  which  he  is  unwise  enough  to  abominate. 
"  The  great  complaint,  which  people  make  against 
your  government,  is  the  obscure,  unimportant,  unen- 
ergetic  investitures  of  Congress.  So  strongly  are 
they  impressed  with  tlie  idea  of  the  degree  of  pow;- 
er,  which  Congress  ought  to  hold,  compared  with 
what  they  now  c  'ceive  it  to  be  invested  with,  that 
they  declare  the   jsolve  of  a  Boston  committee  com- 


mands more  immediate  attention  in  Cadiz,  than  a 


congressional  one  would  do ;  observing,  that  although 
Congress  claims  more  respectability,  it  only  de- 
mands what  it  ought  to  have,  and  not  what  it  is 
possessed  of.  They  further  add,  that  whatever 
embarrassments  may  attend  the  prog»"ess  of  a  young 
nation,  and  however  excusable  some  exigences  may 
have  rendered  some  parts  of  your  conduct,  yet 
surely  the  leading  preliminaries,  the  first  strong  out- 
lines, that  form  the  basis  of  a  great  republic,  cannot 
be  thus  lost  sight  of  without  reflecting  on  your  coun- 
cils. Have  you  formed  even  a  treaty  of  friendship 
with  that  pestilential  meteor  in  power,  Hamet,  Em- 
peroi^of  Morocco?  No.  Have  you  in  your  own 
right  a  Mediterranean  passport  ?  No.  What  securi- 
ty have  you  then  for  your  Straitsmen  ?  The  savage, 
Hamet,  knows  no  medium  in  such  kind  of  friend- 
ship ;  never  dreamt  of  such  a  thing  as  an  independ- 
ent neutrality.  What  will  you  do  then  ?  Eat  all 
your  flour,  cod,  spars,  and  potash,  or  ransom  your 
captivated  countrymen  at  fifteen  hundred  pounds  a 
head,  and  lose  your  produce  ?  Hamet  wants  your 
alliance.  Give  the  snarling  mastiflf  a  bone,  and  while 
he  is  gnawing  it  you  can  do  as  you  please.  It  is 
certain,  that  your  unorganized  system  of  government 
is  here  inuch  talked  of,  and  you  know  the  conse- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


139 


quence  of  these  matters  being  much  talked  of.  Yout 
paltry  state  schisms  are  considered  to  be  such  vulgar 
errors,  as  a  people  aiming  at  the  most  refined  system 
of  gov€rnment  could  not  commit,  without  the  impu- 
tation of  perfect  insanity.  But  adieu,  politics.  In- 
deed I  know  not  what  humor  prompted  me  to  offer 
my  advice  to  you  in  this  way. 

"If  the  incongruity  of  my  letter  bespeaks  a  per- 
turbation of  mind,  it  will  not  deceive  you.  It  is  a 
cloudy  day  with  me.  However,  my  hobby  tells  me 
it  will  be  fair  weather  tomorrow ;  and  I  believe  it, 
because  I  wish  it.  You  will  probably  next  hear  from 
me  in  France.  In  the  mean  time,  let  me  make  sure 
of  one  circumstance,  and  if  tomorrow  bring  its  mis- 
fortunes, they  will  be  less  severe,  when  1  reflect  on 
having  said  to  those  I  know  will  believe  me,  that  no 
evil,  till  that  which  is  esteemed  the  last  of  evils, 
can  ever  obliterate,  or  even  obscure,  that  lasting  af- 
fection and  esteem,  which  I  have  for  you  and  your 
best  of  brothers.  My  other  remembrances  I  com- 
mit to  your  care." 

He  remained  in  Cadiz  but  a  few  days  after  this 
letter  was  written,  when  he  somewhat  unexpectedly 
procured  a  passage  for  Brest,  on  board  the  French 
ship  Bourbon.  It  was  rare  for  him  to  be  out  of 
health,  but  in  Cadiz  he  was  attacked  with  a  fever, 
which  had  scarcely  left  him  when  he  went  to  sea. 
While  on  board  he  writes,  "  My  fever  was  in  conse- 
quence of  a  slight  cold  originally,  and  heightened 
by  a  fit  of  uncommon  melancholy ;  but  I  am  getting 
about  again,  and  excepting  a  slight  debility,  and 
some  of  Cook's  rheumatism  in  my  bones,  I  am  well." 
His  spirits  were  not  unfrequently  oppressed,  when 
the  various  turns  in  his  affairs  left  him  inactive,  with 
precarious  means  of  support,  and  uncertain  as  to  the 


) 


140 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


future  ;  but  he  took  great  pains  to  conceal  the  symp" 
tioms  of  gloom  from  his  friends.  They  are  occa* 
sionally  discovered  in  his  letters,  rather  from  his 
forced  attempts  to  foe  cheerful  and  gay,  when  it  is 
evident  foy  the  general  tenor  of  his  thoughts,  that  his 
heart  is  sad,  than  from  any  formal  complaints  of  his 
ill  fortune,  or  repinings  at  the  will  of  Providence. 
He  was  now  visiting  Europe  in  the  prosecution  of 
what  he  deemed  a  noble  and  important  enterprise ; 
but  he  was  going  ■  '•  ig  strangers,  who  could  only 
be  induced  to  listr ^  vO  his  proposals  by  motives  of 
interest,  and  whom  he  must  inspire  with  some  por- 
tion of  his  own  enthusiasm,  before  they  could  be 
expected  to  favor  his  schemes,  or  even  comprehend 
his  views.  The  task  thus  presented  to  him  was 
disheartening.  But  however  despondency  might 
sometimes  give  a  hue  to  his  thoughts,  he  never  suf- 
fered it  to  weaken  his  resolution,  or  repress  his  ardor. 
The  great  object  of  pursuit  was  never  lost  sight  of, 
while  his  way  to  its  accomplishment  was  lighted  by 
a  gleam  of  hope.  The  whole  force  of  his  mind 
was  now  bent  upon  a  voyage  of  trade  and  discovery 
to  thtt  Northwest  Coast.  He  was  powerfully  im- 
pressed with  the  belief,  that  such  an  enterprise  would 
redound  to  the  honor  of  those  engaged  in  it,  and 
confer  new  benefits  upon  the  commercial  world ; 
and  was  not  a  little  chagrined  at  the  small  encour- 
agement, which  his  strenuous  exertions  had  received. 
in  his  own  country.         *  ■  f 

In  this  state  of  mind  it  is  no  wonder,  that  he 
should  express  himself  in  the  following  language  on 
his  voyage  to  Brest.  "  I  saw  an  English  gentleman 
at  Cadiz,  who  assured  me,  that  about  six  months 
past  a  ship  of  seven  hundred  tons,  commissioned  by 
the  Empress  of  Russia,  was  fitted  out  in  the  English 


j    »..r.! 


■% 


X\  '«;■ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


141 


'  -tii  -l>i    V  -dtk  ■- 


Thames  on  a  voyage  to  the  hack  parts  of  America ; 
that  she  was  armed,  and  commanded  by  a  Russian, 
and  that  some  of  her  officers  were  those,  who  had 
been  with  Cook.  You  see  the  business  deserves 
the  attention  I  have  endeavoured,  and  am  still  striving 
to  give  it ;  and  had  Morris  not  shrunk  behind  a 
trifling  obstruction,  I  should  have  been  happy,  and 
America  would  this  moment  be  triumphantly  dis- 
playing her  flag  in  the  most  remote  and  beneficial 
regions  of  commerce.     I  am  tired  of  my  vexa- 


» 


tions. 

He  arrived,  after  a  short  passage,  at  Brest,  and 
set  oiF  by  land  tlirough  Quimper  to  L'Orient.  "  I 
am  now  at  Quimper,"  he  writes^  "  and  tomorrow,  if 
my  horses  please,  I  will  be  in  L'Orient.  *  What  will 
you  do  there?'  The  best  I  can.  Brest  is  a  naval 
arsenal,  but  not  so  respectable  as  I  had  imagined. 
Monsieur  de  Kerguelen,  the  great  navigator,  lives 
within  nine  miles  of  me,  but  a  Holland  consul  has 
me  by  the  button,  and  I  cannot  see  him.  The  dia- 
lect of  Bretagne  has  some  resembla '  q  both  to  the 
Irish  and  Welsh.  But,  good  nigh* ,  1  nust  sleep. 
Tired  nature  will  have  it  so."  From  Quimper  he 
proceeded  to  L'Orient,  where  he  immediately  began 
to  put  his  affairs  in  train. 

The  letters  he  brought  with  him  from  respectable 
sources,  procured  him  a  speedy  acquaintance  with 
gentlemen  of  the  first  character  in  the  place ;  and 
his  plan  was  received  with  so  much  approbation, 
that  within  twelve  days  he  completed  a  negotiation 
with  a  company  of  merchants,  and  a  ship  was  se- 
lected for  the  intended  voyage.  Mutual  engage- 
ments were  entered  into  by  the  parties,  and  every-jj 
thing  seemed  to  wear  the  most  promising  aspect., 
So  unaccustomed  had  he  been  to  such  good  fortune. 


1       t-V.! 


...! 


'  mii 


,vf 


t^ 


<^  ,'•  ""    -^  -v.*,,,,^.^ 


142 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


that  he  could  hardly  realize  at  first  the  happy  issue 
of  events  as  they  then  stood.     "  I  have  been  so 
much  the  sport  of  accident,"  said  he,  "  that  I  am 
exceedingly   suspicious.      It  is   true,  that  in   this 
L'Orient  negotiation,  I  have  guarded  every  avenue 
to  future  disappointment,  with  all  possible  caution ; 
yet  this  head  I  wear,  is  so  much  a  dupe  to  my  heart, 
and  at  other  tim.es  my  heart  is  so  bewildered  by  my 
head,  that  in  matters  of  business  1  have  not  much 
confidence  in  either."     He  then  speaks  of  the  point 
to  which  the  negotiation  had  been  brought,  and  adds, 
"  but  here  comes  a  6m<,— ah,  these  buts ;   pray 
Heaven  they  may  not  but  the  modicum  of  brains  out 
of  my  head,  which  Morris  has  left  there.     The  but 
is  this.     I  have  arrived  so  late  in  the  season,  that  the 
merchants  have  procrastinated  the  equipment  until 
next  summer,  and  requested  me  to  stay  here  till 
then,  allowing  me  genteelly  for  that  purpose.    And 
were  I  but  certainr^  that  no  cruel  misfortune  would 
eventually  happen,  I  should  be  quite  happy,  for 
present  appearances  could  not  be  better.    Upon  any 
consideration,  it  is  for  my  interest  to  wait  the  event ; 
and  as  I  hourly  perceive  the  folly  of  repining  at  a 
disappointed  wish,  or,  indeed,  of  suffering  what  I 
may  happen  to  call  misfortune,  whether  present  or 
anticipated,  to  meet  any  other  reception  from  me, 
than  the  most  undaunted  which  my  experience  can 
enable  me  to  meet  it  with,  I  am  determined  to  sit 
down,  not  despondini,    ,  dejectedly,  or  supinely — 
what  a  vile  row  of  adverbs — ^but  contemplatively, 
cheerly,  and  industriously.     It  seems  decreed  by 
somewhat,  that  I  shall  be  driven  about  the  world  in 
a  most  untraversable  way ;  but  in  whatever  clime  I 
may  alight,  my  ardent  desire  is,  that  the  friendship 
of  my  friends  may  greet  me  well.    This  done,  I  have 


*> 


f  >i-' 


\:'- 


■t-^-  ■. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


14S 


drunk  my  cordial,  and  there  is  not  a  richer  in  France 
— and  only  in  America  one,  which  perfumed  the  a^ 
from  M —  to  Amhoy  House." 

All  things  being  thus  arranged  to  his  mind,  and 
having  nothing  to  regret  but  the  procrastination  of 
his  voyage,  which  he  perceived  to  be  unavoidable, 
he  resolved  to  spend  the  winter  in  L'Orient,  and  be 
in  readiness  to  commence  preparations  the  moment 
that  the  season  would  admit.    It  was  now  October, 
and  the  opinion  of  the  merchants  was,  that  a  suita- 
ble vessel  could  not  be  obtained  and  properly  fitted 
out  before  the  succeeding  August.     Ten  months  for 
such  an  object  seemed  a  long  period  to  Ledyard,  as 
well  indeed  they  might,  but  experience  had  taught 
him  patience ;  and  die  fair  prospects  held  out  by 
this  negotiation,  together  with  the  consideration, 
that,  by  leaving  France  at  the  close  of  summer,  he 
would  pass  round  Cape  Horn  into  the  Pacific  Ocean 
at  the  most  favorable  season,  reconciled  him  to  the 
delay.    In  the  mean  time,  being  supplied  with  a 
liberal  income  by  the  mercantile  company  mentioned 
above,  he  frequented  the  best  society  in  L'Orient, 
to  whom  his  extensive  knowledge  of  the  world,  his 
general    intelligence,   unpretending    manners,   and 
frank  and  generous  temper,  always  made  him  ac- 
ceptable.    Nothing  occurred  to  interrupt  his  happi- 
ness, or  darken  his  hopes,  during  the  four  months 
that  followed,  except  occasional  reflections  on  the 
time  that  had  been  lost  in  his  fruitless  endeavours,  and 
the  glory  that  others  were  reaping  in  the  field  of 
discovery,  which  he  ought  to  have  been  the  first  to 
explore. 

"  I  wrote  you  last,"  says  he,  "  that  a  Russian  ship 
had  been  sent  into  that  part  of  the  vast  Pacific 
Ocean.     Four  nights  ago,  I  saw  a  Russian  gentle- 


^   \. 


m 


"'lnwiiiiWA'.v', 


1  V 


144 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


man  from  Petersburg,  who  informed  me  of  two 
ships  having  been  sent  thither.  In  our  yesterday's 
paper,  it  is  said  that  the  ship  Seahorse,  belonging  to 
the  EngHsh  Hudson's  Bay  Company,  had  made  a 
voyage  thither,  and  returned  well.  You  see  what 
honorable  testimonies  daily  transpire  to  evince,  that 
I  am  no  otiierwise  the  mad,  romantic,  dreaming 
Ledyard,  than  in  the  estimation  of  those  who  thought 
me  so.  The  flame  of  enterprise,  that  I  kindled  in 
America,  terminated  in  a  flash,  that  bespoke  little 
foresight  or  resolution  in  my  patrons.  Perseverance 
was  an  effort  of  understanding,  \yhich  twelve  rich 
merchants  were  incapable  of  making  ;  and  whether 
I  now  succeed  or  not,  the  obstacles  1  have  surmount- 
ed, to  reach  my  present  attainment,  infer  some  small 
merit,  which  I  do  not  blush  to  own  among  my  pri- 
vate pleasures."  ,    .     ,,  .  • 

The  winter  soon  passed  away,  and  near  the  end 
of  February  measures  began  to  be  taken  for  equip- 
ping the  vessel  for  sea.  It  was  intended,  that  a 
commission  from  tlie  king  should  be  obtained  to  sail 
on  a  voyage  of  discovery.  Some  advantages,  it  was 
supposed,  would  thus  be  derived  to  the  mercantile 
interests  of  the  voyage,  as  the  vessel  would  be  cloth- 
ed with  a  public  character,  and  from  this  circum- 
stance ensure  a  greater  respect  from  any  foreigners 
she  might  fall  in  with,  as  well  as  enable  the  owners 
to  claim,  in  the  name  of  the  King  of  France,  any 
islands  or  unknown  regions,  that  might  be  actually 
discovered.  A  memorial,  and  other  suitable  papers, 
were  sent  to  the  king's  ministers,  applying  for  such 
a  privilege,  and  for  letters  of  recommendation  to  the 
European  public  agents  residing  in  those  parts  of 
the  world,  at  which  the  vessel  would  probably  touch. 
On  the  twenty-third  of  February,  I785i,  Ledyard 


!  !*  '■  ■ . 


% 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


145 


wrote  to  h' T  brothers  from  L'Orient ;  "  My  affairs  in 
France  are  likely  to  prove  of  the  greatest  honor  and 
advantage  to  me.     I  have  a  fine  ship  of  four  hundred 
tons,  and  in  August  next  I  expect  to  sail  on  another 
voyage  round  the  world,  at  the  end  of  which,  if 
Heaven  is  propitious  to  me,  I  hope  to  see  you.     In 
the  mean  time,  may  the  God  of  nature  spread  his 
mantle  over  you  all.     If  I  never  see  you  more,  it 
shall  be  well ;  if  I  do,  it  shall  be  well ;  so  be  happy 
and  of  good  cheer."     From  this  tone  of  his  feel- 
ings, it  is  evident  that  his  heart  was  light,  and  his 
hopes  high.     Up  to  this  point  all  tbiiigs  had  pro- 
ceeded according  to  his  expectations  and  Hvishes ; 
he  had  passed  an  agreeable  winter  in  a  social  and 
refined  circle  of  friends,  and  he  began  now  to  enjoy 
in  anticipation  the  triumphs  of  his  zeal  and  perse- 
verance. 

But  unfortunately  this  flattering  vision  was  soon 
to  be  dissipated,  like  the  many  others,  by  which  he 
bad  been  elated  and  deceived  ;  again  was  he  to  be 
made,  in  his  own  phrase,  "  the  sport  of  accident ;" 
again  was  the  burden  of  a  cruel  disappointment  to 
weigh  on  his  spirits,  and  disturb  his  repose.     After 
the  date  of  the  above  letter,  we  hear  no  more  of  the 
L'Orient  negotiation,  except  that  it  failed.     Whether 
this  result,  so  desolating  to  the  hopes  of  our  adven- 
turer, was  produced  by  the  caprice  of  the  merchants, 
who  had  united  with  him  in  the  undertaking,  or  by 
any  sudden  change  in  their  affairs,  which  took  fron: 
them  the  ability  of  fulfilling  their  contract,  or  by  the 
refusal  of  the  government  to  grant  such  a  commis- 
sion as  was  expected,  or  by  all  these  combined,  is 
not  known.     It  is  enough,  that  the  voyage  was  en- 
tirely abandoned,  and  Ledyard  was  left  with  no 
other  recompense  for  this  new  vexation,  than  his 
13 


* 


'Bi; 


m 


!  < 


(k 


146 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


own  mortified  feelings,  and  the  prospects  of  a  future 
too  gloomy  even  for  him  to  contemplate  unmoved. 
The  slender  stock  of  money,  with  which  he  landed 
in  Europe,  was  completely  exhausted  ;  he  could  ex- 
pect no  more  from  the  L'Orient  merchants,  nor  from 
any  other  quarter;  ai^d,  what  afflicted  him  more 
severely  than  all  the  resv,  the  last  resort  for  carrying 
into  effect  his  darling  plan  of  northwestern  discovery 
and  trade,  had  been  tried  in  vain.  No  consolation 
remain'  d  for  his  baffled  purposes  and  wasted  zeal. 
Yet  fifteen  years'  experience,  in  buffeting  the  rough 
and  sometimes  perilous  current  of  life,  had  taught 
him  other  lessons  than  those  of  despondency,  and 
nerved  him  for  other  deeds  than  a  tame  submission 
to  the  control  of  untoward  circumstances.  His  be- 
wildering doubts,  as  to  what  course  he  should  pur- 
sue, detained  him  a  short  time  in  L'Orient.  He 
looked  to  Paris  as  the  theatre,  on  which  he  would 
be  most  likely  to  better  his  fortunes  ;  and  after  his 
concerns  relative  to  the  voyage  were  closed,  he 
hastened  to  that  capital. 


\., 


f  '^  t}^%mi\ 


,"f«*»,iiStf 


H 


*<V, 


1»k 


/.■»7  v.' 


I 


•t' 


'  ■>*■*■ 

■  -K 


■-,* 


^^.^.M^-^MtfiMilJAi&k^ 


•'   > 


'W^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


147 


4' 


* 


Meets  with  Mr.  Jefferson  at  Paris.— Project  of  a  voyage  to  the 
Northwest  Coast  with  Paul  Jcaes,  for  the  purpose  of  establish- 
ing a  trading  factory  there. — Proposes  travelling  across  the  con- 
tinent from  Nootka  Sound  to  tne  United  States.— Thinks  of 
going  to  Africa  with  Mr  Lamb. — Remarks  on  Paris,  and  various 
objects  that  came  under  his  notice. — The  King  at  Versailles. — 
Mr  JeiTerson  and  Lafayette. — The  Queen  at  St  Cloud. — Appli- 
cation through  Baron  Grimm  to  the  Empress  of  Russia,  to  obtain 
permission  ior  him  to  travel  across  her  dominions  to  Bering's 
Strait. — Colonel  Humphreys. — Contemplates  going  to  Peters- 
burg, before  the  Empress'  answer  is  received. — Curious  anecdote 
of  Sir  James  Hall. — Visit  to  the  hospitals  in  Paris. — Tour  in 
Normandy. — Proceeds  to  London,  where  he  engages  a  pasiage 
on  board  a  vessel  just  ready  to  sail  for  the  Nortnwest  Coast. — 
Colonel  Smith's  letter  to  Mr  Jay. — The  voyage  defeated. — Re- 
solves anew  to  go  to  Russia. — Sir  Joseph  BanKs  and  other  gen- 
tlemen contribute  funds  to  aid  him  in  his  travels. 

At  this  time  Mr  .^efFerson  was  minister  from  the 
United  States  at  the  court  of  France.  That  patriot, 
equally  ardent  in  the  love  of  science,  and  friendly  to 
every  enterprise,  which  had  for  its  object  the  im- 
provement of  his  country,  received  Ledyard  with 
great  kindness,  and  approved  most  highly  his  design 
of  an  expedition  to  tiie  Northwest  Coast  of  Ameri- 
ca. He  perceived  at  once  the  advantages,  that 
would  flow  from  such  a  voyage,  not  merely  in  its 
immediate  mercantile  results,  but  in  its  bearing  on 
the  future  commerce  and  pohtical  interests  of  the 
United  States.  No  part  of  that  wide  region  had 
then  been  explored,  nor  any  formal  possession  taken 
of  it,  except  the  few  points  at  which  Cook's  vessels 
had  touched,  and  others  where  the  Russians  pos- 
sessed small  establishments  for  the  prosecution  of 
tlie  fur  trade  with  the  Indians.  These  latter  were 
also  probably  confined  to  the  islands.  To  a  states- 
man like  Mr  Jefferson  it  was  evident,  that  a  Inrge 


-,r«'r' ■"^?' 


■■,   /.M.-l...- ^.  ,-u..,A.->.. 


t   \ 


1 


i 


I 


M 


»8 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


portion  of  that  immense  country,  separated  from  the 
United  States  by  no  barrier  of  nature,  would  event- 
ually be  embraced  in  their  territory.     He  was  con- 
vinced of  the  propriety,  therefore,  of  its  being  ex- 
plored  by    a   citizen   of   the   United   States,   and 
regretted  the  failure  of  Ledyard's  attempts  in  his 
own  country  to  engrige  in  a  voyage  before  the  same 
thing  had  been  meditated  anywhere  else.     These 
views  were  deeply  impressed  on  the  mind  of  Mr 
Jefferson,  and  in  them  originated  the  journey  of 
Lewis  and  Clarke  over  land  to  the  Pacific  Ocean, 
twenty  years  afterwards,  which  was  projected  by 
him,  and  prosecuted  under  his  auspices. 
-;   Ledyard  had  not  been  many  days  in  Paris,  before 
he  became  acquainted  with  Paul  Jones,  at  that  time 
acting  under  a  commission  from  the  Congress  of  the 
United   States,  to  demand   the  amount  of  certain 
prizes,  which  he  had  taken  during  the  war,  particu- 
larly in  the  famous  capture  of  the  Serapis  and  the 
Countess  of   Scarborough,  and   sent  into  French 
ports.     This  intrepid  adventurer,  being  now  unem- 
ployed in  any  military  or  public  service,   eagerly 
seized  Ledyard's  idea,  and  an  arrangement  was  clos- 
ed, by  which  they  agreed  to  unite  in  an  expedition, 
on  a  scale  somewhat  larger  than  Ledyard  had  before 
contemplated.     Two  vessels  were  to  be  fitted  out, 
and,  if  possible,  commissioned  by  the  king.     Jones 
was  to  use  his  influence  at  court,  to  persuade  the 
government  to  enlist  in  the  enterprise,  or  at  least  to 
furnish  the  vessels  and  the  requisite  naval  armament. 
If  this  could  not  be  effected,  it  was  resolved  that  the 
outfits  should  be  reduced  within  the  limits  of  Jones's 
private  means,  and  the  two  partners  would  act  whol- 
ly on  their  own  responsibility  and  risk. 
If  it  should  be  found  necessary  to  pursue  the  en- 


»5-W' 


t    1. 


UFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYASD. 


149 


terprise  on  their  private  account  alone,  the  two 
vessels  were  to  proceed  in  company  to  the  North- 
west Coast,  and  commence  a  factory  there  under 
the  American  flag.  The  first  six  months  were  to  be 
spent  in  collecting  furs,  and  looking  out  for  a  suita- 
ble spot  to  establish  a  post,  either  on  the  main  land, 
or  on  an  island.  A  small  stoccade  was  then  to  be 
built,  in  which  Ledyard  was  to  be  left  with  a  sum 
geon,  an  assistant,  and  twenty  soldiers  ;  one  of  the 
vessels  was  to  be  despatched,  with  its  cargo  of  furs, 
under  the  command  of  Paul  Jones,  to  China,  while 
the  other  was  to  remain  in  order  to  facilitate  the 
collecting  of  another  cargo  duping  his  absence. 
Jones  was  to  return  with  both  the  vessels  to  China, 
sell  their  cargoes  of  furs,  load  them  with  silks  and 
teas,  and  continue  his  voyage  round  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope  to  Europe,  or  the  United  States.  He 
was  then  to  replenish  his  vessel  with  suitable  ;.rticles 
for  traffic  with  the  Indians,  and  proceed  as  expedi- 
tiously as  possible  round  Cape  Horn,  to  the  point  of 
his  departure  in  the  Northern  Pacific.  Meantin^e 
Ledyard  and  his  party  were  to  employ  themselves 
in  purchasing  furs,  cultivating  a  good  understanding 
with  the  natives,  and  making  such  discoveries  on  the 
coast,  as  their  situation  would  allow.  Ledyard  sup- 
posed he  should  be  absent  four  or  five  years,  and 
perhaps  six  or  seven.* 

Here  was,  a  scheme,  that  might  give  full  scope  to 

1 ; 

W  A  voyage  from  Canton  to  the  Northwest  Coast,  and  back  to  that 
port,  for  purposes  similar  to  those  meditated  by  Ledyard  and  Paul 
Joned,  was  performed  fourteen  years  afterwards  by  Captain  Rich- 
ard J.  Cleveland.  Whoever  would  understand  the  difficulties  and 
dangers  of  such  an  enterprise,  at  that  time,  will  be  pleased  with 
reading  a  brief  account  of  Captain  Cleveland's  voyage,  in  the 
Norttt  American  Review  for  October,  1827.    No.  57. 

13* 


m 


150 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


- 


^. 


i    3 


the  imagination  of  the  two  heroes  by  whom  it  had 
been  conceived,  presenting  at  once  the  prospect  of 
hazard,  adventure,  fame,  and  profit.  They  dwelt 
upon  it  with  complacency,  and  so  much  was  Jones 
taken  with  it,  that  he  advanced  money  to  Ledyard 
with  which  to  purchase  a  part  of  the  cargo  for  the 
outfit,  even  before  he  had  applied  to  the  government 
for  aid,  being  determined  to  prosecute  it  at  his  own 
risk  if  he  failed  in  that  quarter.  But  at  this  mo- 
ment, his  affairs  in  regard  to  the  prize-money  assum- 
ed a  crisis,  which  compelled  him  to  go  from  Paris 
to  L'Orient,  where  he  was  detained  nearly  three 
months  5  and  although  he  was  ultimately  successful, 
yet  his  zeal  for  this  new  scheme  gradually  cooled 
down,  as  he  probably  found  that  the  government 
would  do  nothing  in  the  matter,  and  that  his  private 
fortune  was  not  adequate^o  so  expensive  an  under- 
taking. At  any  rate,  it  fell  through,  and  after  four 
or  five  months  of  suspense,  Ledyard  had  the  renew- 
ed mortification  of  another  disappointment,  and  of 
seeing  his  ardent  wishes  no  nearer  their  accomplish- 
ment, than  when  he  left  L'Orient.  The  only  ad- 
vantage he  had  derived  from  his  intercourse  with  the 
ChevaUer,  was  an  allowance  of  money  sufficient  for 
his  maintenance,  which  Jones  had  stipulated  at  the 
commencement  of  the  negotiation,  and  which  he  had 
promptly  paid. 

Just  at  this  time  Mr  Lamb,  the  diplomatic  agent 
appointed  by  the  Congress  of  the  United  States  to 
treat  with  the  Dey  of  Algiers,  arrived  in  Paris.  Led- 
yard met  him  occasionally  at  Mr  Jefferson's,  took  an 
interest  in  his  mission,  and  had  serious  thoughts  of 
joining  him  and  going  to  Africa,  but  for  what  specific 
purpose  is  not  told.  The  lingering  desire,  howev- 
er, of  still  being  able  to  conquer  the  fatality  of  cir-^ 


\* 


.^ 


VJ.t 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


151 


cumstances,  which  had  hitherto  impeded  his  progress 
to  glory,  in  the  course  his  fancy  had  pictured  to  him, 
continued  to  sustain  him  with  the  hope  of  a  better' 
turn  of  fortune,  and  to  urge  him  forward  to  untried 
expedients.  ; 

In  Paris  he  associated  with  several  Americans, 
who  approved  and  encouraged  his  ardor,  and  whose 
society  afforded  him  consolation  in  the  midst  of  his 
misfortunes,  but  who  were  not  in  a  condition  to  pro- 
mote his  wishes,  or  remove  his  embarrassments. 
The  question,  what  was  to  be  done,  which  he  had 
so  often  been  compelled  to. ask  himself,  in  cases  of 
similar  extremity,  now  recurred  anew,  and  with  as 
small  a  prospect  as  ever  of  its  being  answered  in 
such  a  manner,  as  to  lull  his  apprehensions,  or  re- 
lieve his  anxiety.  He  determined  to  adventure  one 
effort  more,  and  submit  the  same  proposition  to  a 
mercantile  company  in  Paris,  which  he  had  done  in 
L'Orient.  Some  progress  was  made  in  an  attempt 
to  organize  such  a  compa^^y,  but  it  was  never  ma- 
tured. It  was  his  intention,  after  he  had  visited  the 
coast,  and  procured  a  full  cargo  of  furs,  to  despatch 
the  vessel  to  China  under  proper  officers,  and  return 
himself  across  the  continent  to  the  United  States, 
thus  accomplishing  the  double  object  of  a  lucrative 
voyage,  and  a  tour  of  discovery  through  an  unexplor- 
ed wilderness  of  four  thousand  miles  in  extent. 
Afterwards  he  would  join  the  expedition  in  the  com- 
pany's service,  either  in  France,  or  any  other  part 
of  tiie  world,  as  circumstances  might  dictate.  Such 
was  the  compass  of  his  desires ;  yet  he  would  have 
relinquished  the  idea  of  this  exploratory  tour,  and 
rejoiced  to  engage  in  a  voyage  merely  for  commer- 
cial ends,  if  even  that  could  have  'been  effected. 

Several  months  were  passed  in  unavailing  efforts 


I 


1^2 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEPYARD. 


'^i 


m 


,■■'■/ 
4  •  .  '' 


\ 


to  conquer  obstacles,  which  seemed  to  thicken  as  he 
advanced,  and  in  vainly  striving  to  enlighten  igno- 
rance and  overcome  prejudice,  till  his  perseverance 
could  hold  out  no  longer,  and  he  was  forced  to 
abandon  the  thought  of  a  "^' oyage  by  sea  to  the 
Northwest  Coast,  either  for  trade  or  discovery.  He 
continued  in  Parisj  but  felt  himself,  as  he  really  was, 
a  wanderer  without  employment  or  motive.  With 
Mr  Jefferson,  the  Marquis  de  ia  Fayette,  Mr  Barc- 
lay, the  American  consul,  nd  other  gentlemen  of 
character  and  consequence,  -ie  was  on  terms  of  in- 
timacy. In  this  society,  and  enjoying  the  amuse- 
ments afibrded  in  the  capital  of  France,  his  time 
passed  away  agreeably  enough,  and  in  some  of  his 
letters  he  speaks  of  his  happiness ;  yet  he  was  far 
from  being  satisfied ;  he  suffered  under  the  pressure 
of  want  and  a  corroding  sense  of  dependence  ;  and 
occasionally  his  finances  were  at  so  low  an  ebb,  that 
he  was  compelled,  however  reluctantly,  to  be  a  pen- 
sioner on  the  bounty  of  his  friends.  So  disinterested 
were  his  aims*  however,  and  so  entirely  did  he  sac- 
rifice every  selfish  consideration  in  prosecuting 
them ;  so  benevolent  was  his  disposition,  and  so  en- 
larged his  views  of  serving  mankind,  that  no  one 
considered  favors  of  this  sort  in  the  light  ol'  obliga- 
tions conferred,  nor  so  much  acts  of  charity,  as  a 
just  tribute  to  the  singleness  of  his  heart,  the  gene- 
rosity of  iiis  purposes,  and  the  effective  warmth  of 
his  zeal.  _,r     ,  '^^^, 

I  A  few  miscellaneous  extracts  from  his  letters,  writr 
ten  during  the  first  months  of  his  residence  in  Paris, 
may  properly  come  in  here.  They  will  give  some 
insight  into  his  occupations,  as  well  as  his  habit  of 
observing  events  and  objects  in  the  great  world 
around  him.  l 

.......  -    ^        '       ^  •  ' 


\ 


^i\  . 


'  'if.. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


153 


"  Paris  is  situated  in  an  extended  plain,  rising  on 
all  sides  into  gradual  elevations,  and  some  little  hills 
happily  interspersed  in  the  borders  of  its  horizon. 
Its  extent,  viewed  from  the  tower  of  Notre  Dame, 
appeared  to  me  less  than  London,  though  it  must  be 
larger.  The  public  buildings  are  numerous,  and 
some  of  thsm  magnificent.  Paris  is  the  centre  of 
France,  and  its  centre  is  the  Palais  Royal,  the  resort 
of  the  greatest  virtues  and  the  greatest  vices  of  such 
a  kingdom.  It  is  France  in  miniature,  and  no  friend 
to  France  should  ever  see  it.  The  Tuilleries  afford 
a  consummate  display  of  artificial  elegance  and 
grandeur  ;  the  gardens  of  the  Luxembourg  are  much 
inferior.  The  Boulevards  were  originally  fortifica- 
tions, and  they  now  form  a  broad  way  that  surrounds 
the  city,  separating  it  from  the  suburbs.  It  is  well 
lined  with  fine  umbrageous  elms  on  each  side,  form- 
'  ing  a  beautiful  course  for  coaches  and  horsemen ; 
but  the  farmers-general,  to  prevent  illicit  trade,  are 
walling  it  in,  at  the  expense  of  a  thousand  lamenta- 
tions of  the  Parisians,  and  several  millions  of  livres. 
I  have  been  once  at  the  king's  library.  Papa 
Franklin,  as  the  French  here  call  him,  is  among  a 
number  of  statues  that  I  saw.  The  bust  of  Paul 
Jones  is  also  there.  Did  you  ever  know,  that  Cap- 
tain Jones  was  two  or  three  nights  successively 
crowned  with  laurels,  at  the  great  Opera  House  in 
Paris,  after  the  action  between  the  Bon  Homme 
Richard  and  the  Serapis  ? 

"  I  find  at  our  minister's  table  between  fifteen  and 
twenty  Americans,  inclusive  of  two  or  three  ladies. 
It  is  very  remarkable,  that  we  are  neither  despised 
nor  envied  for  our  love  of  liberty,  but  very  often 
caressed.  I  was  yesterday  at  Versailles.  It  was 
the  feast  of  St  Louis,  but  I  never  feasted  so  ill  in 


♦ 


I 


i;    *1 


i.      : 


■*■• 
y-'^ 


(\ 


\\ 


LUr  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


my  life,  as  at  the  hotel  vAivv.  I  dined,  and  never 
pair!  so  dear  for  a  dinner.  I  vvas  too  late  to  see  the 
procession  of  the  king  and  queen,  but  I  was  little 
disappointed  on  that  account,  as  I  had  already  seen 
those  baubles.  The  king  I  saw  a  fortnight  before 
to  very  great  advantage,  being  near  to  him  while  he 
was  shooting  partridges  in  the  fields.  He  was  dress- 
ed in  common  musqueto  Iro  s'sers,  a  short  linen 
frock,  and  an  old  laced  hit  vvitiiout  a  cockade.  He 
had  an  easy,  gentlemanly  Appejrance ;  ind  had  it 
not  been  for  his  few  attendants,  1  should 'have  taken 
him  for  the  captain  of  a  merchuat  ship,  ft  : -.using 
himself  m  the  field.  The  Palace  ai  Versailles,  and 
its  gai'cens,  are  an  ornament  to  me  face  of  the  frlobf: , 
It  Wiis  dirty  weather.  I  wore  bootj,  and  conse- 
quently was  probiiiited  fro^n  visiting  the  galleriets 
I  was  iu  corapaviv  with  our  Mr  Barclay,  Colonel 
Franks  of  the  A  ?ricp.p  army,  e  young  Virginian, 
and  an  EngUsh  sea  oti^cer.  Franks  was  booted  too  ; 
but  though  honest  Toai  IJcrclay  was  not,  he  had  no 
bag  on,  and  they  rvere  dismissed  also ;  so  that  boots 
oa,  and  bags  ofr,  are  sad  recommendations  at  the 
court  of  Versailles." 

*' If  the  t^o  Fitzhughs  remain  in  town  a  week 
longer,  you  shaU  have  a  week's  detail.  They  dine 
with  me  to-day  m  my  chamber,  together  with  our 
woithy  consul  Barclay,  and  that  lump  of  universali- 
ty, Ciionel  Franks.  But  such  a  set  of  moneyless 
rascals  have  never  appeared,  since  the  epoch  of  the 
happy  villain  Falstaff.  I  have  but  five  French 
crowns  in  the  world  ;  Franks  has  not  a  sol ;  and  the 
Fit::hughs  cannot  get  their  tobacco  money. 

"  Mr  Jefferson  is  an  able  minister,  and  our-coun- 
tjy  may  repose  a  confidence  in  him  equal  to  their 
best  wishes.    Whether  in  public  or  private,  he  is,  in 


"Trs"  '*:Vl'*'*r'-_:;t""  j  •siS'.-*'--'r!Kpfer<».(*«v*»*Sfc»i(*) 


■'/;■'• 


:;  using 


# 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


155 

"/'  every  word  and  every  action,  the  representative  of  a 
young,  vigorous,  and  determined  state.  His  only 
competitors  here,  even  in  political  fame,  are  Ver- 
gennes  and  La  Fayette.  In  other  accomplishments 
he  stajids  alone.  The  Marquis  de  la  Fayette  is  one 
of  the  most  growing  characters  in  this  kingdom.  He 
hi;:  planted  a  tree  in  America,  and  sits  under  its 
sliade  at  Versailles.  He  is  now  at  the  court  of  old 
iVti'srick.  I  am  sure,  that  you  could  not  yourself 
hi  ■«  manifested  more  alacrity  to  serve  rne,  than  he 
has  done.  The  Marquis  is  a  warm  friend  to  Ameri- 
ca. It  will  be  difficuh  for  any  subsequent  plenipo- 
tentiary to  have  as  much  personal  influence  in  France, 
is  I)r  Franklin  had ;  it  will  at  least  be  so,  till  the 
causes,  which  created  that  venerable  patriot's  as- 
cendency, shall  become  less  recent  in  the  minds  of 
tiie  people.  I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  but  once 
at  his  house,  before  his  departure,  and  although 
bent  down  with  age  and  infirmities,  the  excellent  old 
man  exhibited  all  the  good  cheer  of  health,  the  gay 
philosopher,  and  the  kindness  of  a  friendly  country- 


5> 


man. 

"  It  has  been  a  holiday  to-day  ;  the  nativity  of  the 
Virgin  Mary.  My  friend,  the  Abbe  D'Aubrey,  tells 
me,  that  they  have  but  eighty-two  holidays  in  the 
year,  which  are  publicly  regarded ;  biu  this  is  a  mis- 
take ;  they  have  more.  We  both  agree,  that  they 
have  eighty-two  less  than  they  formerly  had.  There 
are  certainly  a  hundred  days  in  this  city  every  year, 
whereon  all  the  shops  are  shut,  and  there  is  a  gene- 
ral STsoension  of  busines ;  for  the  good  policy  of 
whi  let  them  look  to  it.  You  will  hear  in  your 
papers  of  an  affair,  between  a  certain  Cardinal  and 
the  Queen  of  France.  It  has  been  the  topic  of 
conversation  here  for  thirty  days ;  and  forty  fools, 


•    1 


4, 


) 


'■.%'   ! 


■^mv. 


^.,m 


156 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


V  I 


tl;  t  have  expressed  themselves  too  freely  in  the 
matter  for  the  police,  are  already  in  the  Bastile. 
We  have  news  to  day,  that  the  king  will  have  him 
tried  by  the  Parliament,  and  has  written  to  that 
dying  meteor,  the  Pope,  not  to  meddle  in  the  busi- 
ness." 

"  I  was  late  home  yesterday  evening  from  the 
feast  of  St  Cloud,  held  at  a  little  town  of  that  name 
on  the  bank  of  the  Seine.  It  is  particularly  remark- 
able for  having  the  Queen's  Gardens  in  it,  and  a 
house  for  the  Queen,  called  a  Palace.  The  chief 
circumstance,  which  renders  the  village  a  place  of 
curiosity  to  strangers,  is  the  waterworks,  which,  after 
the  labor  of  many  years  and  vast  expense,  exhibit  a 
sickly  cascade,  and  three  jets  d^eau,  or  fountains, 
that  cast  water  into  the  air.  The  largest  of  these 
throws  out  a  column  as  big  as  a  man's  arm,  which 
rises  about  thirty  yards.  In  the  evening  I  entered 
a  part  of  the  gardens,  where  some  fireworks  were 
played  off.  The  tickets  were  twenty-four  sols. 
The  fireworks  were  very  few,  but  good.  This  little 
rustic  entertainment  of  the  Queen's,  was  with  great 
propriety  attended  with  very  little  parade  about  her 
person.  It  was  a  mere  rural  revel,  and  never  be- 
fore did  I  see  majesty  and  tag-rag  so  philosophically 
blended  j  a  few  country  fiddlers  scraping,  and  Kate 
of  the  mill  tripping  it  with  Dick  of  the  vineyard. 

"  Thus  you  see  how  some  few  of  my  days  pass 
away.  I  see  a  great  deal,  and  think  a  great  deal, 
but  derive  little  pleasure  from  either,  because  I  am 
forced  into  both,  and  am  alone  in  both." 

By  these  methods  he  endeavoured  to  amuse  him- 
self, and  forget  his  favorite  scheme  of  traversing  the 
western  continent,  and  ascertaining  its  physical 
character  and  commercial  resources ;  but  this  was 


i:-%ik<'ms^i: 


♦ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDVARb. 


157 


not  possible  ;  it  had  taken  too  strong  a  hold  of  him  to 
admit  of  being  driven  altogether  from  his  mind.  As 
fate  seemed  to  throw  difficulties  insurmountable  in 
the  way  of  a  passage  by  sea,  he  bethought  himself 
of  the  only  remaining  expedient,  by  which  a  part  of 
his  original  design  might  be  carried  into  execution  ; 
and  that  was,  to  travel  by  land  through  the  northern 
regions  of  Europe  and  Asia,  cross  over  Bering's 
Strait  to  the  American  continent,  and  pursue  his 
route  thence  down  the  coast,  and  to  the  interior,  in 
such  a  manner  as  the  exigencies  of  his  condition 
might  point  out  to  him  when  on  the  spot. 

The  first  object  requiring  attention,  was  to  gain 

f)ermission  of  the  empress  of  Russia  to  pass  through 
ler  immense  territories  to  Kamtschatka.  Mr  Jeffer- 
son, who  heartily  approved  the  project,  interested 
himself  in  tiiis  preliminary  measure,  and  applied  to 
M.  de  Simoulin,  minister  plenipotentiary  from  Rus- 
sia at  the  court  of  France,  and  especially  to  the 
Baron  de  Grimm,  minister  from  Saxe-Gotha  at  the 
same  court.  Grimm  was  a  correspondent  and  pri- 
vate agent  of  the  Empress,  and  would  be  likely  to 
have  as  much  influence  with  her  in  a  matter  of  this 
sort,  as  her  public  minister.  Both  these  gentlemen 
very  readily  acceded  to  Mr  Jefferson's  request,  and 
Uxade  in  his  name  a  direct  application  to  the  Em- 
press, soliciting  permission  for  Ledyard,  in  the  char- 
acter of  an  American  citizen,  to  travel  through  her 
dominions.  As  haste  is  not  a  characteristic  of 
transactions  of  this  sort  with  crowned  heads,  the 
impatient  traveller  resolved  to  busy  himself  in  the 
best  manner  he  could,  at  least  till  a  reasonable  time 
should  elapse  for  a  reply.  In  the  interim  he  retired 
to  St  Germain,  where  he  afterwards  commonly  re- 
sided during  his  stay  in  Fi  ance.  The  letter,  which 
14 


i; 


* 


^•1 


'^% 


168 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARO. 


kl) 


,f  -.-it- 

contains  the  following  passages,  is  dated  at  St  Ger- 
main, on  the  eighth  of  April,  1786. 

"  If  Congress  should  yet  be  at  New  York,  this 
will  be  delivered  to  you  by  my  friend,  and  almost 
every  body's  friend,  Colonel  Humphreys,  whom  you 
knew  in  days  of  yore.  He  is  secretary  to  our  le- 
gation at  the  court  of  France,  has  a  good  head  and 
a  good  heart ;  but  his  hobby  is  poetry,  and  as  the 
English  reviewers  allow  him  merit  therein,  I  may 
very  safely  venture  to  do  it.  He  is  a  friendly,  good 
soul,  a  sincere  yankee,  and  so  affectionately  fond 
of  his  country,  that  to  be  in  his  society  here  is  at 
least  as  good  to  me,  as  a  dream  of  being  at  home. 
I  imagine  he  takes  despatches ;  but  as  we  are  repub- 
licans a  little  more  polished,  than  on  your  side  of 
the  water,  we  never  presume  to  ask  impertinent 
questions.  • 

"  You  have  doubtless  by  this  time  received  ray 
letters  by  Mr  Barrett.  Your  hearing  from  me  so 
often  by  those,  who  intimately  know  my  situation, 
and  who  «re  so  much  my  friends,  is  a  happy  cir- 
cumstance ;  but  I  would  freely  have  relinquished 
the  pleasure,  which  I  take  in  writing  this  letter,  to 
have  been  where  I  supposed  I  should  be  when  I 
\vkA&  you  last.  But  soon  after  the  departure  of  Mr 
B^rett,  our  minister,  the  Russian  minister,  and  the 
Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  took  it  into  their  heads,  that  I 
should  not  go  directly  to  Petersburg,  but  wait  till  I 
was  sent  for,  which  is  the  occasion  of  my  being  here 
to  write  you  at  this  time.  You  see  that  I  have  so 
many  friends,  that  I  cannot  do  just  as  I  please.  I 
am  very  well  in  health.  A  gracious  Providence, 
and  the  Indian  corn  diet  of  my  childhood,  added  to 
the  robust  scenes  I  have  since  passed  through,  have 
left  me  at  the  same  age  at  which  my  father  died, 


l; 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


159 


'  healthy,  active,  vigorous,  and  strong.'  *  T  am  for 
a  few  weeks  at  the  little  town  where  my  tter  is 
dated,  and  as  I  live  upon  the  skirt  of  a  royai  ibrest, 
I  am  every  day  in  it,  and  it  is  usual  for  me  to  run 
two  miles  an  end  and  return.  I  am  like  one  of 
Swift's  Houyhnhnms.  Ask  Humphreys  if  I  did 
not  walk  into  Paris  last  week,  and  return  to  dine 
with  Madam  Barclay  the  same  morning,  a  distance 
equal  at  least  to  twenty-four  of  our  miles.  But  this 
is  not  the  work  of  nature  ;  she  made  me  a  voluptu- 
ous, pensive  animal,  intended  for  the  tranquil  scenes 
of  domestic  life,  for  ease  and  contemplation,  and  a 
thousand  other  fine  soft  matters,  that  I  have  thought 
nothing  about,  since  I  was  in  love  with  R.  E.  of 
Stonington.  What  fate  intends  further,  I  leave  to 
fate ;  but  it  is  very  certain,  that  there  has  ever  been 
a  great  difference  between  the  manner  of  life  I  have 
actually  led,  and  that  which  I  should  have  chosen  ; 
and  this  is  not  to  be  attributed  more,  perhaps,  to  the 
irregular  incidents  that  Jtave  alternately  caressed  and 
insulted  me,  than  to  the  irregularity  of  my  genius. 
Tom  Barclay,  our  consul,  who  knows  mankind  and 
me  very  well,  tells  me  that  he  never  saw  such  a 
medley  as  in  me.  The  Virginian  gentlemen  here  call 
me  Oliver  Cromwell,  and  say,  that,  like  him,  I  shall 
be  '  damn'd  to  fame  ' ;  but  I  have  never  dared  to 
prophesy,  however,  that  it  would  be  by  a  Virginian 
poet. 

"  I  every  hour  expect  my  summons  to  Peters- 
burg from  the  Russian  minister.  I  shall  have  a  de- 
lightful season  to  pass  through  Germany,  though  it 
does  not  suit  my  tour  well.     I  shall  lose  a  season  by 


n\ 


*  A  line  from  his  father's  tombstone ;  he  died  at  the  age  of 
fliirty-five.  •.:•.■.■..»..  ,;,^  .  ,,  .•  -^p-^- 


M: 


.*    *• 


■  '*    .i*  -1 


160 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


.'a 


it     I  am  not  certain  about  the  result  of  this  business, 
and  shall  not  be  perfectly  at  ease,  till  I  have  been  >  < 
introduced  to  the  Empress." 

From  a  remark  above,  it  may  be  inferred,  that 
Ledyard  wished  to  begin  his  journey  to  Petersburg 
before  any  intelligence  had" been  received  by  the 
Russian  minister  in  reply  to  his  appUcation.  His 
principle  motive  doubtless  was,  tliat  he  might  take 
advantage  of  the  season,  and  reach  Siberia  so  far  in 
anticipation  of  the  severest  parts  of  the  winter,  as  not 
to  be  blocked  up  for  several  months  by  the  snows 
in  that  frigid  region.  His  advisers  considered  such 
a  step  ill  judged  ;  inasmuch  as  a  formal  petition  had 
been  sent  to  the  Empress,  and  it  would  evince  a 
want  of  proper  respect  to  set  out  on  the  journey,  be- 
fore her  answer  had  been  returned,  however  strong 
might  be  the  probability  that  her  consent  would  be 
granted.  These  points  of  etiquette  were  overlooked 
by  the  traveller,  in  his  eagerness  to  be  on  the  road  ; 
and  he  moreover  thought  the  business  might  as  well 
be  settled  at  the  court  of  the  Empress  in  Petersburg 
as  through  her  minister  in  Paris.  The  event  proved 
his  impressions  not  to  be  ill  founded.  His  forebod-  • 
ings  were  verified,  for  he  was  kept  in  daily  expec-  • 
tation  for  more  than  five  months,  without  receiving 
an  answer,  or  hearing  anything  on  the  subject  either 
from  M.  de  Simoulin,  or  the  Baron  de  Grimm. 
His  last  letter  from  France  is  a  very  long  one,  dated 
at  St  Germain,  the  eighth  of  August,  1786.  It  touch- 
es on  a  great  variety  of  topics,  and  was  written  at 
different  times. 

"  Since  I  wrote  to  you  by  Colonel  Humphreys," 
says  he  to  his  friend,  "  I  have  been  at  St  Germain, 
waiting  the  issue  of  my  affair  at  Petersburg.     You  ^ 
wonder  by  what  means  I  exist,  having  brought  with 


C. 


>0 


->-r:<*«»»  »• 


rrr^-      ft»,*^„w_/.;ft.j 


'  .Vii^i\i»:^^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEOYARD. 


161 


"1 


less, 
Deen 

that 
burg 

the 

His 
take 
ar  in 

not 


f» 


me  to  Paris  this  time  twelve  months  only  three  louis 
d'ors.  Ask  vice-consuls,  consuls,  ministers,  and 
plenipotentiaries,  all  of  whom  have  been  tributary  to 
me.  You  think  I  joke.  No,  upon  my  hunor ;  and, 
however  irreconcileable  to  my  temper,  disposition, 
and  education,  it  is  nevertheless  strictly  true.  Ev- 
ery day  of  my  life,  my  dear  cousin,  is  a  day  of  ex-, 
pectation,  and  consequently  a  day  of  disappointment. 
Whether  I  shall  have  a  morsel  of  bread  to  eat  at 
the  end  of  two  months,  is  as  much  an  uncertainty, 
as  it  was  fourteen  months  ago,  and  not  more 
so.  The  near  approach,  that  I  have  so  often 
made  to  each  extreme  of  happiness  and  distress, 
without  absolutely  entering  into  either,  has  ren- 
dered me  so  hardy,  that  I  can  meet  either  with 
composure.  '. 

"  Permit  me  to  relate  to  you  an  incident.     About 
a  fortnight  ago,  Sir  James  Hail,  an  English  gentle- 
man, on  his  way  from  Paris  to  Cherbourg,  stopped 
his  coach  at  our  door,  and  came  up  to  my  chamber. 
I  was  in  bed  at  six  o'clock  in  the  morning,  but  hav-  • 
ing  flung  on  my  robe  de  chambre,  I  met  him  at  the  i 
door  of  the  antechamber.   I  was  glad  to  see  him,  but  ^ 
surprised.     He  observed,  that  he  had  endeavoured  ;> 
to  make  up  his  opinion  of  me  with  as  much  exact-  > 
ness  as  possible,  and  concluded  that  no  kind  of  visit 
whatever  would  surprise  me.     I  could  do  no  other- 
wise than  remark,  that  his  opinion  surprised  me  at  f 
least,  and  the  conversation  took  another  turn.     In 
walking  across  the  chamber,  he  laughingly  put  his 
hand  on  a  six  livre  piece  and  a  louis  d'or,  that  lay  on 
my  table,  and  with  a  half  stifled  blush,  asked  me 
how  I  was  in  the  money  way.     Blushes  commonly 
beget  blushes,  and  I  blushed  partly  because  he  did, 
and  partly  on  other  accounts.     '  If  fifteen  guineas,' 
14* 


.' 


r 


1\ 


162 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


W 


i^    I 


said  he,  interrupting  the  answer  he  had  demanded, 
'  will  be  of  any  service  to  you,  there  they  are,'  and 
he  put  them  on  the  table.  *  I  am  a  traveller  myself, 
and  though  I  have  some  fortune  to  support  ray  trav- 
els, yet  I  have  been  so  situated  as  to  want  money, 
which  you  ought  not  to  do.  You  have  my  address 
in  London.'  He  then  wished  me  a  good  morning 
and  left  me.  This  gentleman  was  a  total  stranger 
to  the  situation  of  my  finances,  and  one  that  I  had 
by  mere  accident  met  at  an  ordinary  in  Paris.  We 
had  conversed  together  several  times,  and  he  once 
sent  his  carriage  for  me  to  dine  with  him.  I  foimd 
him  handsomely  lodged  in  the  best  Fauxbourg  in 
the  city.  Two  members  of  the  British  House  of 
Commons,  two  lords,  Beaumarchais,  and  several 
members  of  the  Royal  Academy,  were  at  his  table. 
He  had  seen  me  two  or  three  times  after  that,  aftd  al- 
ways expressed  the  highest  opinion  of  the  tour  I  had 
determined  to  make,  and  said  he  would,  as  a  citizen 
of  the  world,  do  anything  in  his  power  to  promote 
it ;  but  I  had  no  more  idea  of  receiving  money  from 
him,  than  I  have  this  moment  of  receiving  it  from 
Tippoo  Saib.  However,  I  took  it  without  any  hes- 
itation, and  told  him  I  would  be  as  complaisant  to 
him,  if  ever  occasion  offered." 

"  I  have  once  visited  the  Foundling  Hospital,  and 
the  Hospital  de  Dieu,  in  Paris ;  twice  I  never  shall. 
Not  all  the  morality  from  Confucius  to  Addison  could 
give  me  such  feelings.  Eighteen  foundlings  were 
brought  the  day  of  my  visit.  One  was  brought  in 
while  I  was  there.  Dear  little  innocents  !  But  you 
are,  happily,  insensible  of  your  situations.  Where 
are  your  unfortunate  mothers  ?  Perhaps  in  the  ad- 
joining hospital ;  they  have  to  feel  for  you  and  them- 
selves too.     But  where  is  the  wretch,  the  villam,  the 


V* 


.4 


'-ijj'h^rlll'^**"  ' 


UFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTARD. 


163 


nandedy 
re,'  and 
myself, 
ly  trav- 
money, 
address 
nornirg 
stranger 
It  I  had 
We 
16  once 
I  found 
•ourg  in 
ouse  of 
several 
s  table,? 
aild  al- 
rlhad 
citizen 
[romote 
sy  from 
it  from 
lyhes- 
isant  to 

^,  and 
r  shall. 

could 

were 
ight  in 
ut  you 
Vhere 
le  ad- 
them- 
n,  the 


monster — ?    I  was  not  six  mmutes  in  the  house.    It 
is  customary  to  leave  a  few  pence  ;  I  flung  down  six 
livres  and  retired.     Determined  to  persevere,  I  con- 
tinued my  visit  over  the  way  to  the  Hospital  de  Dieu. 
I  entered  first  the  apartments  of  the  women.     *  Why 
will  you,  my  dear  sisters,'  I  was  going  to  say,  as  I  pass^ 
ed  along  between  the  beds  in  ranks,  *  why  will  you  be ' 
— ^but  I  was  interrupted  by  a  melancholy  figure,  that 
appeared  at  its  last  gasp,  or  already  dead.    '  She  's 
dead,'  said  I  to  a  German  gentleman,  who  was  with 
me, '  and  nobody  knows  or  cares  anything  about  it.' 
We  approached  the  bedside.    I  observed  a  slight  un- 
dulatory  motion  in  one  of  the  jugular  arteries.  '  She 's 
not  dead,'  said  I,  and  seized  her  hand  to  search  for 
her  pulse.     I  hoped  to  find  life,  but  it  was  gone. 
The  word  dead  being  again  pronounced,  brought  the 
nuns  to  the  bed.     '  My  God  ! '  exclaimed  the  head 
nun, '  she  's  dead  ;' — '  Jesu,  Maria  ! '  exclaimed  the 
other  nuns,  in  their  defence,  *  she 's  dead.'     The 
head  nun  scolded  the  others  for  their  mal-attendence. 
'  My  God !  '  continued  she,  *  she  is  dead  without 
the  form.'     *  Dieu  ! '  said  the  others,  *  she  died  so 
silently.'    *  Silence,'  said  the  elder, '  perhaps  she  is 
not  dead ;  say  the  form.'    The  form  Was  said,  and 
the  sheet  thrown  over  her  face." 

"  While  in  Normandy  I  was  at  the  seat  of  Con- 
flans,  the  successor  of  him,  who  was  so  unfortunate 
in  a  naval  afiair  with  Hawke  of  England.  It  is  the 
lordship  of  the  manor.  The  peasants  live  and  die 
at  the  smiles  or  frowns  of  their  lord,  and,  avaricious 
of  t'  e  former,  they  fly  tc  communicate  to  him  any 
unc ::  non  occurrence  in  the  village ;  and  such  they 
thougji.  K  our  arrival.  The  place,  to  be  sure,  is  very 
remote,  and  the  gentleman  I  accompanied,  who  was  an 
Englishman,  rode  in  a  superb  manner.     His  coach 


I 


.»♦., 


m 


/ 


;vs;:5 


i';,it; 


7f  ,. 


164 


LIFE  OF  JOKN  LEDYARD. 


and  servants  were  in  a  very  elegant  style.  M.  Con- 
flans  was  informed  of  it.  On  that  day  it  was  my 
turn  tp  cater,  and  the  little  country  taverns  in  France 
are  such,  as  oblige  one  to  cook  for  himself,  if  he 
woula  eat.  I  was  consequently  very  busy  in  the 
kitchen.  The  Otaheite  marks  on  my  hands  were 
discovered  ;  the  mistress  and  the  maids  asked  our 
servants  the  history  of  so  strange  a  sight.  They 
were  answered  that  I  was  a  gentleman,  who  had 
been  round  the  world.  It  was  enough ;  Conflans 
knew  of  it,  and  sent  a  billet,  written  in  good  Eng- 
lish, to  inquire  if  we  would  permit  him  the  honor  of 
seeing  us  at  his  mansion ;  and,  if  he  could  be  thus 
distinguished,  he  would  come  and  wait  on  us  thither 
himself.  It  was  too  late;  the  Englishman  and  I 
had  begun  pell-mell  upon  a  joint  of  roast.  If  Jove 
himself  had  sent  a  card  by  Blanchard  inviting  us,  it 
would  have  been  all  one.  We  would  honor  our- 
selves with  waiting  on  the  Marquis  de  Conflans  in  the 
evening.  We  did  so,  and  we  could  not  but  be  pleas- 
ed with  the  reception  we  met  with ;  it  was  in  the 
true  character  of  a  French  nobleman." 

"  I  took  a  walk  to  Paris  this  morning,  and  saw  the 
Marquis  de  la  Fayette.  He  is  i  good  man,  this 
same  Marquis.  I  esteem  him,  and  even  love  him, 
and  so  we  all  do,  except  some  few,  who  worship 
him.  I  make  these  trips  to  Paris  often ;  sometimes 
to  dine  with  this  amiable  Frenchman,  and  sometimes 
with  our  minister  who  is  a  brother  to  me.  I  am  too 
much  alive  to  care  and  ambition  to  sit  still.  The 
unprofitable  hfe  I  havs  led  goads  me ;  I  would  wil- 
lingly crowd  as  much  merit  as  possible  into  the  au- 
tumn and  winter  of  it.  Like  Milton's  hero  in  Para-  * 
dise  Lost  (who  happens  by  the  way  to  be  the  evil 
one  himself),  it  behoves  me  now  to  use  both  oar  and 
sail  to  gain  my  port. 


\ 


^^ ., 


7/ 


'  J 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


165 


M.  Con- 
was  my 
Q  France 
elf,  if  he 
y  m  the 
ids  were 
iked  our 
They 
^ho  had 
^onflans 
d  Eng- 
lonor  of 
be  thus 
thither 
and  I 
f  Jove 
?  us,  it 


■  \ 


.  r  "  The  Paris  papers  of  to-day  announce  the  dis- 
covery of  some  valuable  gold  mires  in  Montgomery 
county,  Virginia,  which  I  rejoice  to  hear ;  but  I  hope 
they  will  not  yield  too  much  of  it,  for,  as  Poor 
Richard  says,  'too  much  of  one  thing  is  good  for 
nothing.'  All  that  I  can  say  is,  that,  if  too  much  of 
it  is  as  bad  as  too  little,  the  Lord  help  you,  as  he 
has  me,  who,  in  spite  of  my  poverty,  am  hearty  and 
cheerful.  I  die  with  anxiety  to  be  on  the  back  of 
the  American  States,  after  having  either  come  from 
or  penetrated  to  the  Pacific  ocean.  There  is  an 
extensive  field  for  the  acquirement  of  honest  fame. 
A  blush  of  generous  regret  sits  on  my  cheek,  when  I 
hear  of  any  discovery  there,  which  I  have  had  no  part 
in,  and  particularly  at  this  auspicious  period.  The 
American  Revolution  invites  to  a  thorough  discovery 
of  the  continent ;  and  the  honor  of  doing  it  would 
become  a  foreigner,  but  a  native  only  can  feel  the 
genuine  pleasure  of  the  achievement.  It  was  neces- 
sary, that  a  European  should  discover  the  existence 
of  that  continent,  but,  in  the  name  of  Amor  Fairue, 
let  a  nat've  explore  its  resources  and  boundaries. 
It  is  my  wish  to  be  the  man.  I  will  not  yet  resign 
that  wish,  nor  my  pretensions  to  that  distinction. 
Farewell  for  the  present.  I  have  just  received  in- 
telligence, which  hurries  me  to  London.  What  fate 
intends  is  always  a  secret ;  fortitude  is  the  word.  I 
leave  this  letter  with  my  brother  and  my  father,  our 
minister.  He  will  send  it  by  the  first  conveyance. 
Adieu." 

>  The  intelligence  here  alluded  to,  was  from  his  ec- 
centric friend.  Sir  James  Hall,  who  had  returned  to 
London.  In  six  days  Ledyard  was  with  him  in  the 
British  capital.  He  there  found  an  EngHsh  ship  in 
complete  readiness  to  sail  for  the  Pacific  ocean.    Sir 


f 


p 


l.*^.***.^*  I  »•>,•«*  .t 


^ 


•^^rv.. 


/ 


*-5«»^jTo>f»f/ofr^-> 


&i^iftiWiM«. 


i^a 


166 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


<    I 


James  Hall  introduced  him  to  the  owners,  who  im- 
mediately offered  him  a  free  passage  in  the  vessel, 
with  the  promise,  that  he  should  be  set  on  shore  at 
any  place  on  the  Northwest  Coast,  which  he  might 
choose.  The  merchants,  no  doubt,  hoped  to  profit 
somewhat  by  his  knowledge  and  experience,  and  he 
could  not  object  to  such  an  exchange,  as  these  were 
his  only  possessions.  One  of  Cook's  officers  was 
also  going  out  in  the  same  vessel.  The  day  before  he 
was  to  go  on  board,  Ledyard  wrote  to  Mr  Jefferson 
in  the  following  animated  strain. 

"  Sir  James  Hall  presented  me  with  twenty  guin- 
eas jpro  bono  publico.  I  bought  two  great  dogs,  an 
Indian  pipe,  and  a  hatchet.  My  want  of  time,  as 
W!^51  as  of  money,  will  prevent  my  going  any  other- 
wise than  indifferendy  equipped  for  such  an  enter- 
prise ;  but  it  is  certain,  that  I  shall  be  more  in  want 
before  I  see  Virginia.  Why  should  I  repine  ?  You 
know  how  much  I  owe  the  amiable  La  Fayette. 
Will  you  do  me  the  honor  to  present  my  most  grateful 
thanks  to  him  ?  If  I  find  in  my  travels  a  mountain, 
as  much  elevated  above  other  mountains,  as  he  is 
above  ordinary  men,  I  will  name  it  La  Fayette.  I 
beg  the  honor,  also,  of  my  compliments  to  Mr  Short, 
who  has  been  my  friend,  and  who,  like  the  good 
widow  in  Scripture,  cast  in  not  only  his  mite,  but 
more  than  he  was  able,  for  my  assistance." 

The  equipment  of  two  dogs,  an  Indian  pipe,  and  a 
hatchet,  it  must  be  confessed,  was  very  scanty  for  a 
journey  across  a  continent ;  but  they  were  selected 
with  an  eye  to  their  uses.  The  dogs  would  be  his 
companions,  and  assist  him  in  taking  wild  animals 
for  food,  the  pipe  was  an  emblem  of  peace  to  the 
Indians,  and  the  hatchet  would  serve  many  purposes 
of  convenience  and  utility.     His  choice  could  not 


m 


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»...■.•  .»'■ 


.  •-  •'■*— 'r-i-'ias?? 


V  / 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


167 


I 


who  iiTi- 
le  vessel, 
i  shore  at 
he  might 
to  profit 
!,  and  he 
ese  were 
cars  was 
>efore  he 
l^efferson 


A 


have  fallen,  perhaps,  upon  three  more  essential  re- 
quisites for  a  solitary  traveller  among  savages  and 
wild  beasts ;  they  would  enable  him  to  provide  for 
his  defence,  and  procure  a  friendly  reception,  cover- 
ing, and  sustenance.  All  these  were  necessaiy,  and 
must  be  the  first  objects  of  his  care. 

His  plan  was  fully  arranged  before  entering  the 
ship.  He  determined  to  land  at  Nootka  Sound, 
where  he  had  passed  some  time  with  Cook's  expe- 
dition, and  thence  strike  directly  into  the  interior, 
and  pursue  his  course  as  fortune  should  guide  him  to 
Virginia.  By  his  calculation,  the  voyage  and  tour 
would  take  him  about  three  years.  He  was  much 
gratified  with  the  reception  he  met  in  London, 
and  particularly  from  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  and  somi; 
other  gentlemen  of  science,  who  entered  warmly 
into  his  designs.  It  was  believed,  that  his  dis- 
coveries would  not  fail  to  add  valuable  improve- 
ments to  geography  and  natural  history ;  and  there 
was  a  romantic  daring  in  the  enterprise  itself,  well 
suited  to  gam  the  applause  of  ardent  and  liberal 
minds.  Thus  encouraged,  his  enthusiasm  rose  higher 
than  ever,  and  his  impatience  to  embark  increased 
every  moment. 

While  in  Paris  the  preceding  year,  he  had  be- 
come acquainted  with  Colonel  Smith,  Secretary  of 
Legation  to  Mr  Adams,  at  that  time  American  min- 
ister in  London.  Colonel  Smith  befriended  him 
after  his  arrival  in  England,  and,  conceiving  the 
journey  he  was  about  to  undertake,  as  promising  to 
be  highly  important  to  America,  he  wrote  an  ac- 
count of  it  to  Mr  Jay,  then  Secretary  of  Foreign 
Affairs  in  the  United  States.  After  a  few  remarks 
relative  to  Ledyard's  previous  attempts  and  objects, 
Colonel  Smith  proceeds ;     .,  .^, .;:  'ys  :j;-v    v,4iv    % 


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168 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


"In  consequence  of  some  allurements  from  an 
English  nobleman  at  Pans,  he  came  here  v/ith  the 
intention  of  exploring  the  Northwest  Coast  and 
country ;  and  a  vessel  being  on  the  point  of  sailing 
for  that  coast,  after  supplying  himself  with  a  few 
necessary  articles  for  his  voyage  and  march,  he  pro- 
Cured  a  passage  with  a  promise  from  the  captain  to 
land  him  on  the  western  coast,  from  which  he  means 
to  attempt  a  march  through  the  Indian  nations  to  the 
back  parts  of  the  Atlantic  states,  for  the  purpose  of 
examining  the  country  and  its  inhabitants ;  and  he 
expects  to  be  able  to  make  his  way  through,  possess- 
ed of  such  information  of  the  country  and  people, 
a-  will  be  of  great  advantage  to  ours.     This  remains 
to  be  proved.     It  is  a  daring,  wild  attempt.     Deter- 
mined to  pursue  the  object,  he  embarked  the  last 
vveek,  free  and  independent  of  the  world,  pursuing 
j!:s  plan  unembarrassed  by  contract  or  obligation. 
If  he  succeeds,  and  in  the  course  of  two  or  three 
J  e  V     should  visit  our  country  by  this  amazing  cir- 
cuit, he  may  bring  with  him  some  interesting  infor- 
mation.    If  he  fails,  and  is  never  heard  of  more, 
which  I  think  most  probable,  there  ts  no  harm  done.  . 
He  dies  in  an  unknown  country,  and  if  he  composes 
himself  in  his  last  moments  with  the  reflection  that 
his  project  was  great,  and  the  undertaking  what  few 
men  are  capable  of,  it  will  to  his  mind  soothe  the 
passage.     He  is  perfectly  calculated  for  the  attempt, 
robust  and  healthy,  and  has  an  immense  passion  to 
make  discoveries,  which  will  benefit  society,  and  en- 
sure him,  agreeably  to  his  own  expression,  *  a  small 
degree  of  honest  fame.'    It  may  not  be  improper  for 
your  excellency  to  be  acquainted  with  these  circum- 
stances, and  you  are  the  best  judge  of  the  propriety 
of  extending  them  further."  ";:J  7"  - 


\i 


\ 


« 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


169 


from  an 

with  the 

)ast  and 

if  sailing 

h  a  few 

,  he  pro- 

ptain  to 

le  means 

ns  to  the 

irpose  of 

and  he 

possess- 

people, 

remains 

Deter- 

the  last 

pursuing 

•ligation. 

or  three 

sing  cir- 

tg  infor- 

f  more, 

done. 

)mposes 

on  that 

lat  few 

the  the 

ttempt, 

ision  to 

and  en- 

a  small 

)er  for 

frewm- 

priety 


0 


The  vessel  went  down  the  Thames  from  Deptford, 
and  in  a  few  days  put  to  sea.  Ledyard  thought  it 
the  happiest  moment  of  his  Hfe.  But  alas !  how 
uncertain  are  human  expectations.  Again  was  he 
doomed  to  suffer  the  agonies  of  a  disappointment 
more  severe  than  any  that  had  preceded,  because 
never  before  were  his  wishes  so  near  their  consum- 
mation. He  looked  upon  the  great  obstacles  as 
overcome,  and  regarded  himself  as  beyond  the  reach 
of  fortune's  caprice.  This  delusion  soon  vanished. 
The  vessel  was  not  out  of  sight  of  land,  before  it 
was  brought  back  by  an  order  from  the  govern- 
ment, and  the  voyage  was  finally  broken  off.  He 
went  back  to  London,  as  may  be  supposed,  with  a 
heavy  heart.  A  month  afterwards  he  wrote  to  Dr 
Ledyard, 

"I  am  still  the  slave  of  fortune  and  the  son  of 
care.  You  will  be  surprised  that  I  am  yet  in  Lon- 
don, unless  you  will  conclude  with  me,  that,  after 
what  has  happened,  nothing  can  be  surprising.  I 
think  my  last  letter  informed  you,  that  I  was  abso- 
lutely embarked  on  board  a  ship  in  the  Thames, 
bound  to  the  Northwest  Coast  of  America.  This 
will  inform  you,  that  I  have  disembarked  from  said 
ship,  on  account  of  her  having  been  unfortunately 
seized  by  the  customhouse,  and  eventually  ex- 
chequered  ;  and  that  I  am  obliged  in  consequence  to 
alter  my  route ;  and,  in  short,  everything,  all  my 
little  baggage — shield,  buckler,  lance,  dogs,  squire, — 
all  gone.  I  only  am  left ; — left  to  what  ?  To  some 
riddle,  1  '11  warrant  you  ;  or,  at  all  events,  I  will  not 
warrant  anything  else.  My  heart  is  too  much  troub- 
led at  this  moment  to  write  you  as  I  ought  to  do. 
I  will  only  add,  that  I  am  going  in  a  few  days  to 
make  the  tour  of  the  globe  from  London  east  on 
15 


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j'Wp^WlSP^ -.  ''^'^'K^^tf^^^^V^ 


170 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


foot.  I  dare  not  write  you  more,  nor  intro^nce  you 
to  the  real  state  of  my  affairs.  Farewell.  Fortitude  i 
Adieu." 

By  this  it  will  be  seen,  that  his  Siberian  project 
was  again  revived  ;  and,  in  fact,  a  subscription  to  aid 
him  in  this  object  had  already  been  commenced  in 
London,  under  the  patronage  of  Sir  Joseph  Banks, 
Dr  Hunter,  Sir  James  Hall,  and  Colonel  Smith.  "  I 
fear  my  subscription  will  be  small,"  he  says,  in  a  let- 
ter to  Mr  Jefferson  ;  "  it  adds  to  my  anxiety  to  reach 
those  dominions,  where  f  shall  not  want  money.  J 
do  not  mean  the  dominions,  that  may  be  beyond 
death.  I  shall  never  wish  to  die,  while  you  and  tlie 
Marquis  are  alive.  I  am  going  across  Siberia,  as  I 
before  intended."  The  amount  collected  by  his 
friends  is  not  mentioned,  but  it  was  such,  as  to  in- 
duce him  to  set  out  upon  the  journey  j  which,  in- 
deed, he  probably  would  have  done,  had  he  obtained 
no  money  at  all.  He  had  lived  too  long  by  ex;*edi- 
ents,  to  be  stopped  in  his  career  by  an  obstacle  3o 
trifling  in  his  imagination  as  the  want  of  money ;  and 
he  was  panting  to  get  to  a  country,  where  its  usie 
was  unknown,  and  where  of  course  the  want  of  it 
would  not  be  felt. 


,1,'sij      r'.»i 


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'H  •      , 


^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


171 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


Ledyard  proceeds  to  Hamburg. — Goes  to  Copenhagen,  where  he 
meets  Major  Langbom,  another  American  traveller. — Endeavours 
to  persuade  Langbom  to  accompany  him  in  his  tour,  but  in  vain. 
— 'Continues  his  route  to  Sweden,  and  is  disappointed  in  not 
being  able  to  cross  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia  on  the  ice. — Journey 
roimd  the  Gulf  inti)  the  Arctic  Circle  on  foot,  through  Sweden, 
Lapland,  and  Finland. — Maupertuis's  description  oi^the  cold  at 
Tomea. — Arrives  at  Petersburg,  where  he  is  befriended  by  Pro- 
fessor Pallas  and  others. — Procures  a  passport  from  the  Empress, 
through  the  agency  of  Count  Segur,  the  French  ambassador. — 
Sets  out  for  Siberia,  and  travels  by  way  of  Moscow  to  Kazan,  a 
town  on  the  river  Wolga. — Crosses  the  Uralian  Mountains. — 
Some  account  of  the  city  of  Tobolsk. — Proceeds  to  Barnaoul 
and  Tomsk. — Descriptions  of  the  country  and  the  inhabitants. 
— Character  and  condition  of  the  exiles  at  Tomsk. — Fossil 
Bones. — Curious  mounds  and  tombs  of  the  ancient  natives. — 
Arrives  at  Irkutsk. 

Leaving  London  in  December,  Ledyard  went  over 
to  Hamburg,  whence  he  immediately  wrote  to  Colo- 
nel Smith.  From  the  account  of  his  financies  con- 
tained in  that  letter,  it  would  not  seem  that  he  was 
enculnbered,  at  his  departure  from  England,  with 
a  heavy  purse.  He  makes  no  complaint  however  ; 
on  the  c6ntrary,  he  expresses  only  joy,  that  the 
journey,  which  he  had  so  long  desired,  was  actually 
begun. 

"  I  am  here,"  he  says,  "  with  ten  guineas  exactly, 
and  in  perfect  health.  One  of  my  dogs  is  no  more. 
I  lost  him  on  my  passage  up  the  river  Elbe  to  Ham- 
burg, in  a  snow  storm.  I  was  out  in  it  forty  hours 
in  an  open  boat.  My  other  faithful  companion  is 
under  the  table  oji  which  I  write.  I  dined  to  day 
with  Madam  Parish,  lady  of  the  gentleman  I  men- 
tioned to  you.  It  is  a  Scotch  house  of  the  first 
commercial  distinction  here.  The  Scotch  have  by 
nt^ture  a  dignity  of  sentiment,  that  renders  them  aC' 


il 


*    *  *,.      ,v^     ,  "<•  ^-l4k: 


M • ..^...*,. 


172 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


4i 


complislipd.  I  could  go  to  heaven  with  Madam 
Parish,  but  she  had  some  people  at  her  table,  that  I 
coidd  not  go  to  heaven  with.  I  cannot  submit  to  a 
haughty  eccentricity  of  niit  'lers.  My  fate  has  sent 
me  to  the  tavern,  where  M  tr  Langborn  was  three 
weeks.  He  is  now  at  Copenhagen,  having  left  his 
baggage  here  to  be  sent  on  to  him.  By  some  mis- 
take he  has  not  received  it,  and  has  written  to  the 
master  of  the  hotel  on  the  subject.  I  shall  write  to 
him,  and  give  him  my  address  at  Petersburg.  I 
should  wish  to  see  him  at  all  events,  but  to  have  him 
accompany  me  on  my  voyage  would  be  a  pleasure 
indeed." 

This  Major  Langborn  turns  out  to  be  ;m  American 
officer,  lately  arrived  in  Hamburg  from  Newcastle,' 
"  a  very  good  kind  of  a  man,  and  an  odd  kind  of  a 
man,"  as  the  master  of  the  hotel  called  him,  one 
who  had  travelled  much,  and  was  fond  of  travelling 
in  his  own  way.  He  had  gone  off  to  Copenhagen 
without  his  baggage,  taking  with  him  only  one  spare 
shirt,  and  very  few  other  articles  of  clothing.  It 
does  not  appear  that  Ledyard  had  ever  been  ac- 
quainted with  Langborn,  or  even  seen  him ;  but  he 
had  heard  such  a  descripii  )n  of  him  from  Colonel 
Smith,  and  others,  '^'at  in  fancy  he  had  become 
enamoured  of  'he  Oikiaallty  and  romantic  turn  of 
his  character,  and  pariii  alarly  of  his  passion  for 
travelling.  Carried  away  with  this  whimsical  pre- 
possession, he  had  got  it  into  his  head,  that  Langborn 
was  the  fittest  man  in  the  world  to  be  the  companion 
of  his  travels.  An  imaginary  resemblance  between 
their  pursuits,  condition,  and  the  bent  of  their  genius, 
created  a  sympathy,  that  was  not  to  be  resisted. 
He  moreover  suspected  from  hints,  wJiich  he  saw 
in  Langborn's  letter,  inquiring  about  his  trunk,  that 


ii 


i^-*-r'\y  ' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


173 


he  WT  in  want  of  money.  Here  was  another  appeal 
to  i/is  ponerosity,  and  one  which  he  could  never  suf- 
fer '  >  be  made  in  vain,  wiiile  he  had  ten  guineas  in 
his  pocket.  "  1  will  fly  to  him  with  my  little  all, 
and  some  clothes,  and  lay  tl'om  at  his  feet.  At  this 
moment  I  may  be  useful  to  liim ;  he  is  my  country- 
man, a  genllei  m,  a  traveller.  He  may  go  with  me 
on  my  journey  ,  if  he  does,  I  am  blessed ;  if  not,  I 
shall  merit  his  attention,  and  shall  not  be  much  out 
of  my  way  to  Petersburg." 

With  this  state  of  his  feelings  it  is  not  wonderful, 
that  we  should  next  hear  from  him  at  Copenhn"^  n 
He  hastened  on  to  that  city,  and  arrived  there  ; 
the  first  of  January,  1787,  although  it  was  t! 
him  far  aside  from  his  direct  course,  and  exp( 
him  to  all  the  fatigues  and  perils  of  a  long,  tedio.: 
winter  passage  through  Sweden  and  Finland.  He 
found  Langborn  in  a  very  awkward  situation,  with- 
out money  or  friends,  and  shut  up  in  his  room  for  the 
want  of  decent  apparel  to  appear  abroad  in ;  and, 
what  was  worse,  incurring  the  suspicions  of  those 
around  him,  that  he  was  some  vagabond,  or  despe- 
rate character,  whose  conduct  had  rendered  it  ex- 
pedient for  him  to  keep  out  of  sight.  Imagination 
only  can  paint  the  joy,  that  glowed  in  our  traveller's 
countenance,  when  he  saw  the  remains  of  his  ten 
guineas  sHp  from  his  fingers,  to  relieve  the  distresses 
of  his  new  found  friend.  All  that  could  now  be  said 
of  them  was,  that  their  poverty  was  equalized ;  the 
Major  could  walk  abroad,  and  his  benefactor  had  not 
means  to  carry  him  beyond  the  bounds  of  the  city. 
The  road  to  Petersburg  was  many  hundred  miles 
long,  through  snows,  and  over  ice,  and  presenting 
obstacles  enough  at  that  season  to  appal  the  stoutest 
heart,  even  with  all  the  facilities  for  travelling,  which 
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174 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


gold  could  purchase.    What  then  was  the  prospect 
for  a  moneyless  pedestrian  ? 

These  reflections  were  not  suffered  to  intrude 
upon  the  pleasures  of  the  moment.     His  money  was 
gone,  it  was  true,  but  a  worthy  man,  and  a  traveller, 
had  been  made  happier  by  it.    How  he  should  ad- 
vance further,  was  a  thing  to  be  thought  of  to-morrow, 
yet  the  doubt  never  came  into  his  mind,  that  any- 
thing could  stop  him,  when  the  time  should  arrive 
for  him  to  move  forward.     Neither  confidence  nor   - 
fortitude   ever  forsook   him.      Two  weeks  were 
agreeably  passed  in  the  society  of  Langborn,  but  no 
inducements  could  prevail  on  him  to  undertake  the 
Siberian  tour,  much  less  to  hazard  the  dangerous 
experiment  of  entrusting   himself  among  the  wild  ' 
barbarians  of  North  America.     His  humor  was  not 
of  this  sqrt,  yet  it  was  scarcely  less  peculiar,  than  if  ;' 
it  had  been.    "  I  see  in  him,"  says  Ledyard  to  Colo- 
nel Smith,  "the  soldier,  the  countryman,  and  the 
generous  friend ;  but  he  would  hang  me  if  he  knew 
I  had  written  a  word  about  him ;  and  so  I  will  say 
no  more,  than  just  to  inform  you,  that  he  mettns  to 
wander  this  winter  through  Norway,  Swedish  Lap- 
land, and  Sweden;  and  in  the  spring  to  visit  Peters- 
burg.   I  asked  to  attend  him  through  this  route  to 
Petersburg ; — '  No  ;  I  esteem  ypu,  but  I  can  travel 
in  the  way  I  do  with  no  man  on  eilrth.' "    After  this 
avowal,  the  Major  certainly  merits  the  praise  of 
frankness,  if  not  of  compliance ;  and  Ledyard  must 
have  possessed  a  larger  share  of  practical  philosophy, 
than  falls  to  the  lot  of  most  men,  to  have  been  per- 
fectly reconciled  to  this  abrupt  declaration,  after 
coming  so  far  out  of  his  way,  and  spending  much 
time  and  all  his  money  in  search  of  a  companion 
who,  he  fondly  hoped,  would  participate  in  his  adven- 
tures. „  1  ., 


( t. 


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A.^'^-Ty  „,..vrv:....rT-":zr.W,.W' 


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,      N 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


175 


When  this  visit  of  friendship  was  closed,  and  the 
hour  of  departure  approached,  the  necessity  was 
pressed  upon  liim  of  looking  about  for  money.  He 
drew  a  small  bill  on  Colonel  Smith,  and  good  for- 
tune put  in  his  way  a  merc^liant,  who  consented  to 
accept  it,  and  pay  him  the  abiount.  "  Thompson's 
goodness  to  me,"  he  writes  io  Colonel  Smith,  "  in 
accepting  the  bill  on  you,  relying  on  my  honor,  has 
saved  me  from  perdition,  and  will  enable  me  tO  reach 
Petersburg."  A  small  sum,  to  meet  such  an  exi<t 
gency,  had  been  left  in  Colonel  Smith's  hands,  but 
not  to  the  full  amount  of  the  draft.  Ledyard  apolo- 
gizes for  the  addition,  and  tells  his  friend,  that  he 
must  put  it  to  the  account  of  charity,  for  his  neces- 
sities only  had  compelled  him  to  overdraw.  The 
draft  was  kindly  accepted  by  Colonel  Smith,  when  it 
came  to  hand.  Thus  replenished,  our  traveller 
parted  from  the  eccentric  Major,  crossed  over  into 
Sweden,  and  arrived  in  Stockholm  towards  the  end 
of  January.* 

The  common  mode  of  travelling  from  Stockholm 
to  Petersburg  in  the  sumtner  season,  is  to  cross  the 
Gulf  of  Botlmia  to  Abo  in  Finland  by  water,  touch- 

*  Langbom  pursued  his  route,  as  he  had  proposed,  wandering 
over  Sweden,  Norway,  and  Lapland.  The  summer  following  he 
arrived  in  Tomea,  at  the  proper  season  for  witnessing  the  sight, 
which  has  drawn  other  travellers  to  that  place.  Tomea  is  but  a 
few  miles  south  of  the  Arctic  Circle,  and  at  the  timo  of  the  sum- 
mer solstice  the  sun  appears  above  the  horizon,  as  observed  by 
Maupertuis,  "  for  several  days  together  without  setting."  Travel- 
lers are  then  favored  with  what  is  called  "a  view  of  the  sun  at 
midnight"  Acerbi  was  there  in  1799,  and  he  mentions  Laiigbom. 
In  the  church  of  JuksMeroi,  a  town  at  some  distance  vO  the  nortfi 
ofTornea,  and  the  Ultima  Thule  of  travellers  in  that  direction, 
there  is  a  book  in  which  are  written  the  names  of  visiters,  with 
such  remarks  as  t^eir  humor  prompted  them  to  indite.  These  are 
copied  into  Acerbi's  Travels,  amounting  to  only  seven  in  number. 
The  first  record  was  by  Regnard,  on  the  18th  of  August,  1681. 


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176 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


ing  at  the  isles  of  Aland  on  the  passage.  In  winter 
the  same  route  is  pursued,  when  the  sea  is  frozen  so 
hard  as  to  admit  of  sledges  being  drawn  from  one 
island  to  another  on  the  ice.  The  greatest  distance 
to  be  passed  over  in  this  manner,  without  touching  ^ 
land,  is  about  thirty  miles.  Under  the  most  favora- 
ble circumstances  this  passage  is  troublesome  and 
dangerous.  It  is  well  described  by  Acerbi.  "  My  , 
astonishment  was  greatly  increased,"  says  he,  "  in 
proportion  as  we  advanced  from  our  starting-post. 
The  sea,  at  first  smooth  and  even,  became  more  and  . 
more  rough  and  unequal.  It  assumed,  as  we  pro- 
ceeded, an  undulating  appearance,  resembling  the 
waves  by  which  it  had  been  agitated.  At  length  we  : 
met  with  masses  of  ice  heaped  one  upon  the  other, 
and  some  of  them  seeming  as  if  they  were  suspend- 
ed in  the  air,  while  others  were  raised  in  the  form 
of  pyramids.  On  the  whole,  they  exhibited  a  picture 
of  the  wildest  and  most  savage  confusion,  that  sur- 
prised the  eye  by  the  novelty  of  its  appearance.  It 
was  an  immense  chaos  of  icy  ruins,  presented  to 
new  under  every  possible  form,  and  embellished  by 
superb  stalactites  of  a  blue  green  color."  Over 
this  rough  surface,  and  between  the  broken  waves 
of  ice,  the  passengers  are  drawn  in  sledges,  muffled 
up  in  wolf  skins  and  other  furs.     The  chief  danger 


The  following  is  a  literal  transcript  of  another.  '*  >  j  ^ce  bids  me 
record  thy  hospitable  fame,  and  testify  it  by  roy  name.  W,  Lang- 
bom,  United  States.  July  23d,  1787."  This  was  six  months  after 
Ledyard  left  him  in  Copenhagen.  Acerbi  says  he  was  travelling  on 
foot  from  Norway  to  Archangel. 

Tliere  is  another  record  in  the  Albvm  of  .Tukasjeroi,  entered  by  a 
character  noted  for  his  singularities,  and  his  passion  for  rambling, 
and  who  is  still  remembered  in  the  United  States,  as  well  as  in 
many  other  <parts  of  the  world,  by  the  name  of  the  Walking 
Stetoart.  "  Non  mihl  fkma,  sed  hospitalitatis  et  gratitudinis  testi-> 
monium.    S.  Stewart,  Civis  Orbia.    3^  Julii,  1787." 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


177 


consists  in  the  sledges'  being  repeatedly  upset,  and 
the  horses'  sometimes  taking  fright,  and  running 
away  like  wild  deer.  Acerbi  had  a  serious  adven- 
ture of  this  sort,  but  he  luckily  escaped  witliout  harm, 
as  he  did  from  many  other  adventures,  which  await^ 
ed  him  in  his  travels  to  the  North  Cape. 

Thisis  the  method  of  crossmg  the  Gulf  of  Bothnia 
in  common  seasons  ;  but  there  is  occasionally  an  open 
winter,  when  it  is  impassable,  either  by  water  or  on 
the  ice,  for  if  the  passage  does  not  freeze  entirely 
over,  the  water  contains  so  much  floating  ice  that  no 
vessel  can  sail  through  it.  When  this  happens,  the 
only  way  of  going  to  Petersburg  is  around  the  Gulf, 
a  distance  of  twelve  hundred  miles,  over  trackless 
snows,  in  regions  thinly  peopled,  where  the  nights  are 
long  and  the  cold  intense,  and  all  this  to  gain  no  rooro 
than  fifty  miles. 

Such  was  unfortunately  the  condition  of  the  ice, 
when  Ledyard  arrived  at  the  usual  place  of  crossing. 
It  had  not  been  frozen  solid  from  the  beginning  of 
the  winter,  and  no  traveller  could  pass.  Of  all  his 
disappointments,  none  had  afflicted  him  more  severely 
than  this.  The  only  alternative  was,  either  to  stay 
in  Stockholm  till  the  spring  should  open,  or  to  go 
around  the  Gulf  into  Lapland,  and  seek  his  way 
from  the  Arctic  Circle  to  Petersburg,  through  the 
whole  extent  of  Finland;  and  in  either  case  he 
foresaw,  that  he  should  arrive  so  late  in  Russia,  that 
another  season  would  be  wasted  in  Siberia,  before 
he  could  cross  to  the  American  continent.  The 
single  circumstance,  therefore,  of  the  passage  to  Abo 
being  thus  obstructed,  was  likely  to  keep  him  back 
a  full  year  from  the  attainment  of  his  grand  object. 
But  he  did  not  deliberate  long.  He  could  not  en- 
dure inactivity^  and  new  difficulties  nerved  him  with 


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178 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


new  strength  to  encounter  and  subdue  them.  He 
set  out  for  Tornea  in  the  heart  of  winter,  afoot  and 
alone,  without  money'  or  friends,  on  a  road  almost 
unfrequented  at  that  frightful  season,  and  with  the 
gloomy  certainty  resting  on  his  mind,  that  he  must 
travel  northward  six  hundred  miles,  before  he  could 
turn  his  steps  towards  a  milder  climate,  and  then  six 
or  seven  hundred  more  in  descending  to  Petersburg, 
]■''         on  the  other  side  of  the  Gulf. 

When  Maupertuis  and  his  companions  were  about 
leaving  Stockholm,  on  their  journey  to  Tornea,  for 
the  purpose  of  measuring  a  degree  of  the  meridian 
under  the  Polar  Circle,  the  King  of  Sweden  told 
them,  that  "it  was  not  without  sensible  concern, 
that  be  saw  them  pursue  so  desperate  an  undertak- 
ing;" yet  they  were  prepared  with  every  possible 
convenience  for  travelUng,  and  protection  against  the 
rigors  of  a  northern  winter,  A  better  idea  of  the 
degree  and  effects  of  cold,  at  the  head  of  the  Gulf, 
cannot  be  formed,  perhaps,  than  from  Maupertuis's 
description.  "  The  town  of  Tornea,  at  our  arrival 
on  the  thirtieth  of  December,  had  really  a  most 
frightful  aspect.  Its  little  houses  were  buried  to  the 
tops  in  snow,  which,  if  there  had  been  any  daylight, 
must  have  effectually  shut  it  out.  But  the  snows 
continually  falling,  or  ready  to  fall,  for  the  most  part 
hid  the  sun  the  few  moments,  that  he  might  have 
showed  himself  at  mid-day.  In  the  month  of  Janu- 
ary the  cold  was  increased  to  that  extremity,  that 
Reaumur's  mercurial  thermometers,  which  in  Paris, 
in  the  great  frost  of  1709,  it  was  thought  strange  to 
see  fall  to  fourteen  degrees  below  the  freezing  point, 
were  now  down  to  thirty-seven.  The  spirit  of  wine 
in  the  others  was  frozen.  If  we  opened  the  door  of 
9  w«irni  room,  the  external  air  instantly  converted  all 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


179 


the  air  in  it  into  snow,  whirling  it  round  in  white 
vortexes.  If  wo  went  abroad,  we  felt  as  if  the  air 
were  tearing  our  breasts  in  pieces.  And  the  crack- 
ing of  the  wood  whereof  the  houses  are  built,  as  if 
the  violence  of  the  cold  split  it,  continually  alarmed 
us  with  an  approaching  increase  of  cold.  The  soli- 
tude of  the  streets  was  no  less,  than  if  the  inhabi-' 
tants  had  been  all  dead ;  and  in  this  country  you 
may  often  see  people  that  have  been  maimed,  and 
had  an  arm  or  a  leg  frozen  off.  The  cold,  which  is 
always  very  great,  increases  sometimes  by  such  vio- 
lent and  sudden  fits,  as  are  almost  infallibly  fatal  to 
those,  that  happen  to  be  exposed  to  it.  Sometimes 
there  arise  sudden  tempests  of  snow,  that  are  still 
more  dangerous.  The  winds  seem  to  blow  from  all 
quarters  at  once,  and  drive  about  the  snow  with  such 
fury,  that  in  a  moment  all  the  roads  are  lost.  Un- 
happy he,  who  is  seized  by  such  a  storm  in  the  fields. 
His  acquaintance  with  the  country,  or  the  marks 
he  may  have  taken  by  the  trees,  cannot  avail  him. 
He  is  blinded  by  the  snow,  and  lost  if  he  stirs  but  a 
step."* 

These  were  the  scenes,  that  awaited  our  pedestri- 
an in  his  winter  excursion  to" the  Polar  Circle.  How 
far  they  were  realized  by  him  must  be  now  left  to 
conjecture.  No  part  of  his  journal  during  this  tour 
has  been  preserved,  nor  is  it  known  what  course  he 
took  from  Tomea  to  Petersburg.  The  common 
route  is  along  the  border  of  the  Gulf  to  Abo,  but  in 
winter  the  road  is  much  obstructed  by  ice,  and  is 
extremely  bad.  LinnsBus  passed  it  in  September, 
when  returning  from  his  scientific  tour  to  Lapland, 


*  See  Maupertiiis'B  Discourse  before  the  Royal  Academy  of  Sci- 
ences in  Paris.    November  13th,  1737. 


,  ; 


-'^'•.ffl^ 


180 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


i   ■{  f 


and  he  estimates  the  distance  from  Tornea  to  Abo 
at  upwards  of  six  hundred  English  miles.  From  a 
remark  in  Ledyard's  letter  to  Mr  Jefferson,  which 
will  be  quoted  below,  it  would  seem,  that  he  took  a 
different  direction,  and  passed  farther  into  the  interim 
or  of  Russian  Finland.  This  route,  as  he  intimates, 
'must  have  been  wholly  unfrequented  by  travellers, 
although  the  distance  must  be  shorter,  and  at  that 
season  perhaps  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered  were 
not  greater,  than  down  the  Gulf. 

Be  this  as  it  may,  he  reached  Petersburg  before 
the  twentieth  of  March,  that  is,  within  seven  weeks 
of  the  time  of  leaving  Stockholm,  making  the  ave- 
rage distance  travelled  about  two  hundred  miles  a 
week.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  he  met  with  no 
obstacles,  which  his  resolution  did  not  speedily  over- 
come. His  letter  to  Mr  .Teff^rson,  dated  Petersburg, 
March  19th,  1787,  will  acquaint  us  with  the  state  of 
his  feelings,  and  his  prospects,  at  this  stage  of  his 
travels. 

"  It  will  be  one  of  the  remaining  pleasures  of  my 
life,  to  thank  you  for  the  many  instancies  of  your 
f|riendship,  and,  wherever  I  am,  to  pursue  you  with 
the  tale  of  my  gratitude.  If  Mr  Barclay  should  be 
at  Paris,  let  him  rank  with  you  as  my  next  friend. 
I  hardly  -know  how  to  estimate  the  goodness  of  the 
Marquis  ^e  la  Fayette  to  me,  but  I  think  a  French 
nobleman,  of  the  first  character  in  his  country,  never 
did  more  to  serve  an  obscure  citizen  of  another, 
than  he  has  done  for  me ;  and  I  am  sure,  that  it  is 
impossible,  without  some  kind  of  soul  made  ex- 
pressly for  the  purpose,  that  an  obscure  citizen  in 
such  a  situation  can  be  more  grateful  than  I  am. 
May  he  be  told  so,  with  my  compliments  to  his 
lady. 


m: 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


'> 


181 


^• 


".I 


".'i 

* 


"I  cannot  tell  you  by  what  means  I  came  to  Pe- 
tersburg, and  hardly  know  by  what  means  I  shall 
quit  it,  in  the  further  prosecution  of  my  tour  round 
the  world  by  land.     If  I  have  any  merit  in  the  affair, 
it  is  perseverance,  for  most  severely  have  I  been 
buffeted ;  and  yet  still  am  even  more  obstinate  than 
b^ore ;  and  fate,  as  obstinate,  continues  her  assaults. 
How  the  matter  will  terminate  I  know  not.     The 
most  probable  conjecture  is,  that  I  shall  succeed, 
and  be  buffeted  around  the  world,  as  I  have  hitherto 
been   from   England   through    Denmark,   through 
^Sweden,  Swedish  Lapland,  Swedish  Finland,  and 
Uie  most  unfrequented  parts  of  Russian  Finland,  to 
this  aurora  borealis  of  a  city.     I  cannot  give  you  a 
history  of  myself  since  I  saw  you,  or  since  I  wrote 
you  last ;   however  abridged,  it  would  be  too  long, 
tjpon  the  whole,  mankind  have  used  me  well ;  and 
though  I  have  as  yet  reached  only  the  first  stage  of 
my  journey,  I  feel  myself  much  indebted  for  that 
urbanity,  which  I  always  thought  more  general,  than 
many  think  it  to  be ;  and  were  it  not  for  the  mis- 
chievous laws  and  bad  examples  of  some  govern- 
ments I  have  passed  through,  I  am  persuaded.^I 
should  be  able  to  give  you  a  still  better  account  6f 
our  fellow  creatures.     But  I  am  hastening  to  coun- 
tries, where  goodness,  if  natural  to  the  human  hesirt, 
will  appear  independent  of  example,  and  furnish 
an  illustration  of  the  character  of  man,  not  unworthy 
of  him,  who  wrote  the  Declaration  of  Indepc  Jmce. 
I  did  not  hear  of  the  death  of  M.  de  Vergennet  until 
I  arrived  here.     Permit  me  to  express  my  regret  at 
the  loss  of  so  great  and  so  good  a  man.     Permit 
me,  also,  to  congratulate  you,  as  the  minister  of  my 
country,  on  account  of  the  additional  commercial 
privileges  granted  by  France  to  America,  and  to 


iml 


••^ 


183 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYAIU). 


express  my  ardent  wishes,  that  the  friendly  spirit, 
which  dictated  them,  may  last  for  ever.  I  was  ex- 
tremely pleased  at  reading  the  account,  and  to 
heighten  the  satisfaction,  1  found  the  name  of  La 
Fayette  there. 

"  An  equipment  is  now  on  foot  here  for  the  sea  of 
Kamtschatka,  and  it  is  first  to  visit  the  Northwest 
Coast  of  America.  It  is  to  consist  of  four  ships. 
This,  and  the  expedition  that  went  from  here  twelve 
months  since  by  land  for  Kamtschatka,  are  to 
cooperate  in  a  design  of  some  sort  in  the  Northern 
Pacific  Ocean  ;  the  Lord  knows  what,  nor  does  it 
matter  what  with  me,  nor  indeed  with  you,  nor  any 
other  minister,  nor  any  potentate,  south  of  fifty  de- 
grees of  latitude.  I  can  only  say,  that  you  are  in  no 
danger  of  having  the  luxurious  repose  of  your  charm- 
ing climates  disturbed  by  a  second  incursion  of  either 
Goth,  Vandal,  Hun,  or  Scythian. 

"  I  dined  today  with  Professor  Pallas.  He  is  an 
accomplished  man,  and  my  friend,  and  has  travelled 
throughout  European  and  Asiatic  Russia.  I  find  the 
little  French  I  have,  of  infinite  service  to  me.     I 

«uld  not  do  without  it.  It  is  a  most  extraordinary 
iguage.  I  believe  wolves,  rocks,  woods,  and  snow 
understand  it,  for  I  have  addressed  them  all  in  it, 
and  they  have  all  been  very  complaisant  to  me.  We 
had  a  Scythian  at  table,  who  belongs  to  the  Royal 
Society  of  Physicians  here.  The  moment  he  knew 
me  and  my  designs,  he  became  my  friend ;  and  it 
vnll  be  by  his  generous  assistance,  joined  with  that 
of  Professor  Pallas,  that  I  shall  be  able  to  procure  a 
Royal  Passportf  without  which  I  cannot  stir.  This 
must  be  done  through  an  application  to  the  French 
minister,  there  beint  no  American  minister  here ; 
and  to  his  secretary  I  shall  apply  with  Dr  Pallas 


^v 


V. 


\ 


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/  .; 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


m 


toraorrow,  and  shall  take  the  liberty  to  make  use  of 
your  name,  and  that  of  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette^ 
as  to  my  character.  As  all  my  letters  of  recom- 
mendation were  English,  and  as  1  have  hitherto  been 
used  by  the  English  with  the  greatest  kindness  and 
respect,  I  first  applied  to  the  British  minister,  but 
without  success.  The  apology  was,  that  the  present 
political  condition,  between  Russia  and  England, 
would  make  it  disagreeable  for  the  British  minfster 
to  ask  any  favor.  The  secretary  of  the  French 
embassy  will  despatch  my  letter,  and  one  of  his 
accompanying  it,  to  the  Count  Segur  to-morrow 
morning.  I  will  endeavour  to  write  you  again  before 
I  leave  Petersburg,  and  give  you  some  further  ac- 
counts of  myself.  Meantime,  1  wish  you  health. 
I  have  written  a  short  letter  to  the  Marquis.    Adieu." 

It  will  be  remembered,  that  at  this  time  the  Em- 
press was  absent  on  her  famous  jaunt  to  Kerson  and 
the  Krimea.  She  had  left  Petersburg  in  January, 
accompanied  by  Prince  Potemkin,  and  many  others 
of  the  courtiers,  and  of  the  Russian  nobility.  The 
Austrian  and  French  ambassadors  were  also  in  her 
train.  She  passed  through  Smolensk,  and  was  no|| 
at  Kief,  where  she  remamed  amidst  a  brilliant  a#^ 
semblage  of  nobles  from  Poland  and  her  Russiait 
territories,  till  the  spring  was  so  far  advanced,  that 
she  could  proceed  by  water  down  the  Dnieper,  in 
the  magnificent  galleys  prepared  for  the  purpose. 

While  the  Empress  and  her  retinue  were  at  Kief, 
a  round  of  splendid  entertainments,  ceremonies,  and 
visits  from  eminent  personages,  occupied  her  time, 
and  absorbed  her  thoughts,  in  addition  to  the  great 
political  projects,  which  she  is  said  to  have  been 
meditating  in  regard  to  the  conquest  of  "Turkey. 
Had  the  French  ambassador  found  an  opportunity, 


*  '' 


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184 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


therefore,  amidst  these  scenes  of  gaiety  and  bustle, 
to  present  a  petition  to  the  Empress  from  an  un- 
known individual,  for  a  passport  to  travel  through  her 
dominions,  it  could  not  be  thought  strange,  tliat  she 
should  have  neglected  to  attend  to  it  with  the  prompt- 
ness, which  more  important  affairs  might  require. 
Weeks  passed  away,  and  no  answer  was  returned. 
Ledyard's  patience  was  severely  tried  by  this  delay,^ 
and  he  began  to  talk  of  going  forward  without  any 
passport.  On  the  fifteenth  of  May,  after  waiting 
nearly  two  months  at  Petersburg,  he  writes  to  Colo- 
nel Smith,  "  My  heart  is  oppressed ;  my  designs  are 
generous ;  why  is  my  fate  otherwise  ?  The  Count 
Segur  has  not  yet  sent  me  my  passport.  But  this 
shall  not  stop  me ;  I  shall  surmount  all  thines,  and 
at  least  deserve  success."  About  this  time  he  be- 
came acquainted  with  a  Russian  officer,  who  belong- 
ed to  the  family  of  the  Grand  Duke,  and  who  took 
a  lively  interest  in  his  concerns,  and  proffered  his 
services.  Ledyard  says  he  was  not  only  "polite 
and  friendly,  but  a  thinking  Russian.'*  By  thq 
kind  assistance  of  this  gentleman  he  obtained  his 

«assport  in  fifteen  days,  and  was  prepared  for  his 
eparture.  ' 
'  It  was  fortunate,  that  just  at  this  time  Mr  William 
Brown,  a  Scotch  Physician,  was  going  to  the  prov- 
ince of  Kolyvan,  in  the  employment  of  the  Empress. 
Ledyard  joined  him,  and  thus  had  a  companion  on 
his  tour  for  more  than  three  thousand  miles.  From 
tliis  arrangement  he  enjoyed  an  important  advan- 
tage ;  for  Brown  travelled  at  the  expense  of  the 
government,  and  as  Ledyard  went  with  him  by 
permission  of  the  proper  authority,  his  travelling 
charges  were  probably  defrayed  in  part  at  least  from 
the  public  funds.    And,  indeed,  without  this  aid,  it 


W 


■.^  I 


• 


II 


':jr*i' 


'.:^t 


4^. 


t:^^---' 


I 


\-,^»- 


**  1 1 


w 


r* 


m'. 


I  *  ■f* 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


18& 


Would  have  been  impossible  for  him  to  more  a  step, 
for  his  own  resources  were  completely  exhausted. 
On  his  arrival  at  Petersburg  his  necessities  were 
extreme,  as  his  money  was  gone,  and  he  was  almost 
destitute  of  clothes.  In  this  extremity  he  drew  a 
bill  for  twenty  guineas  on  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  which 
he  found  some  friend  willing  to  accept,  although  he 
confessed,  that  Sir  Joseph  had  not  authorized  him 
to  draw,  and  that  the  payment  of  the  bill  would 
depend  on  his  generosity.  It  was  immediately  paid 
when  presented  in  London,  much  to  the  honor  of 
that  munificent  patron  of  science  and  enterprise. 
It  is  said  that  a  quantity  of  stores  was  sent  under  the  '^ 
care  of  Dr  Brown,  to  be  forwarded  to  Mr  Billings 
at  Yakutsk,  who  was  employed  in  exploring  those 
remote  regions  of  Siberia  and  Kamtschatka,  in  the 
service  of  the  Empress. 

r  The  party  left  Petersburg  on  the  first  of  June, 
and  in  six  days  arrived  at  Moscow.  During  the 
last  day's  ride  they  overtook  the  Grand  Duke  and 
his  retinue,  who  were  going  to  Moscow  to  meet  the 
Empress  on  her  return  from  her  pompous  journey 
to  the  Krimea.  The  two  travellers  remained  bui|^ 
one  day  in  Moscow.  They  hired  a  person  to  g#, 
with  them  to  Kazan,  a  distance  of  five  hundred  and  < 
fifty  miles,  and  drive  their  kibitka  with  three  horses.  . 
"  Kibitka  travelling,"  says  Ledyard  in  his  journal, 
"  is  the  remains  of  caravan  travelling ;  it  is  your 
only  home  ;  it  is  like  a  ship  at  sea."  In  this  vfi- 
hicle  they  were  hurried  along  with  considerable 
speed  towards  Kazan,  through  Vladimir,  Nishnei 
Novogorod,  and  other  towns.  Kazan  stands  on  the 
right  bank  of  the  majestic  Wolga,  and  is  the  capital 
of  a  province  of  the  same  name.  It  is  ranked 
amjng  the  first  cities  in  the  empire,  containing  a 
v^-       '   -...••  16*       -  . 


«»s 


''\- 


■"—---■        '7"— «■:  "     -■     ■ 

«.«*-i4-*r^    '-#  -<¥■■  ♦  ■- 

f1 


'■^ 


'.f 


'':'»*. 


"  —  ■  •^'^^.■aKi.-  *  «•  •"»"-T»'>'~ — 


"«iw*im«MMia 


186 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


•# 


'•pi* 


:k 


university,  churches,  convents,  and  other  public 
buildings,  some  of  which  are  magnificent,,  and  fin- 
ished with  much  architectural  taste  and  elegance. 
Immense  quantities  of  grain  are  produced  in  this 
province,  and  also  flax  and  leather  for  exportation. 
The  soil  is  well  cultivated,  but  low  and  unhealthy, 
and  the  mhabitants  are  a  mixed  population  of  Rus- 
sians and  Tartars.  tjrfevn  »» 

They  stayed  a  week  at  Kazan,  and  then  commen- 
ced their  journey  to  Tobolsk,  where  they  arrived  on 
the  eleventh  of  July,  having  crossed  the  Ural  moun- 
tains, and  passed  the  frontiers  of  Europe  and  Asia. 
The  face  of  the  country  had  hitherto  been  level,  with 
hardly  an  eminence  springing  from  the  great  plain, 
which  spreads  over  the  vast  territory  from  Moscow 
to  Tobolsk.  The  ascent  of  the  Ural  mountains  was 
so  gradual,  as  scarcely  to  form  an  exception  to  this 
general  remark,  and  nothing  could  be  more  nKHioto- 
nous  and  dreary,  than  the  interminable  wastes,  over 
which  their  route  had  led  them  since  leaving  Kazan, 
with  here  and  there  a  miserable  village,  and  unpro- 
ductive culture  of  the  soil.  "The  wretched  ap- 
nearance  of  the  inhabitants,"  says  our  journalist, 
such  as  may  generally  be  observed  in  a  greater 

less  degree  in  those  places,  which  are  so  unhap- 
py as  to  be  the  frontiers  between  nations  ;  like  step- 
children are  they."  This  is  especially  the  condition 
of  the  people  throughout  the  whole  extent  of  the 
China  frontiers,  that  border  on  Russia.  It  is  the 
policy  of  the  government  to  preserve  this  belt  of 
desolation,  as  a  barrier,  against  the  too  easy  access 
of  foreigners,  and  as  a  means  of  preventing  contra- 
band trade. 

Tobolsk  is  a  city  of  considerable  interest,  having 
been  ooce  the  capital  of  all  Siberia,  and  in  early 


•  rr 


tr.  "r 


.  J 


II 


€■: 


,^'^< 

.■i'^'* 


'  S^-»«.*-^' 


...;x.^-^ 


iT?*^ 


\  ■',- 


,^^"'"*' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


187 


times  the  scene  of  a  great  battle  between  the  re- 
nowned hero  Yermak,  and  the  Tartar  prince,  Kou- 
tchum  Khan,  in  which  the  former  was  victorious. 
The  city  stands  at  the  junction  of  two  large  rivers, 
the  Tobol  and  Irtish,  which  there  unite  and  flow  on 
together,  till  their  waters  are  mingled  with  the  Obe, 
an4  thence  conveyed  to  the  Northern  Ocean.  It 
consists  of  the  upper  and  lower  town,  the  latter  sit- 
uate on  the  margin  of  the  river,  and  the  former  on 
a  commanding  eminence,  which  overlooks  the  lower 
town  and  much  of  the  adjacent  country.  Captain 
Cochrane,  who  visited  this  place  a  few  years  ago, 
was  greatly  pleased  with  its  natural  advantages  and 
scenery,  and  the  condition  and  comforts  of  the 
people.  The  town  is  well  laid  out  into  streets, 
contains  handsome  churches  and  other  edifices,  a 
well  regulated  market,  and  provisions  of  all  kinds 
in  abundance,  and  e:.  c';edingly  cheap.  He  was  not 
less  charmed  with  the  society  j  for  although  Tobolsk 
is  the  residence  of  exiles,  they  are  such  as  have 
been  sent  to  Siberia  for  political  reasons,  and  not 
malefactors,  these  latter  being  accommodated  with  a 
residence  and  employment  much  farther  in  the  in- 
terior towards  Kamtschatka.  These  political  exih^ 
are  commonly  persons  of  some  culture  and  intelli- 
gence, for,  as  this  author  justly  remarks,  no  govern- 
ment banishes /bo/«;  and  the  social  circles  of  the 
better  sort  indicate  a  refinement  and  happiness, 
which  might  be  envied  in  more  civilized  parts  of 
the  globe.  So  much  was  this  traveller  pleased  with 
the  wild  and  beautiful  scenery  on  the  banks  of  the 
Irtish,  that  he  followed  up  the  stream  to  the  borders 
of  China,  enraptured  at  every  step  ;  nor  was  he 
satisfied,  till  he  had  contemplated  by  moonlight  the 
deep  solitudes  and  lofty  granite  mountains,  that  con- 


^:. 


:^xm- 


-J, 


^^:>. 


■/K- 


■  I'-ik 


;-..-4U. 


"fZ 


"-*•<>.-.  ..i.iiftiii*  ' 


'M 


"MNPiMi 


188 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEBYABD. 


stkute  the  bulwark  of  this  northern  boundary  of  the 
Celestial  Empire, 

But  Captain  Cochrane  waaf  an  amateur  traveller, 
wandering  for  amusement,  and  seeking  odd  adven- 
tures in  the  most  promising  theatre  for  them.  Led- 
yard,  on  the  contrary,  was  impelled  forward  by  a 
single  motive,  and  he  would  gladly  have  annihilated 
space  and  time,  if  he  could  have  set  his  foot  the 
next  moment  on  the  American  Continent.  He  did 
not  traverse  the  wild  wastes  of  Siberia  to  make  dis- 
coveries, gaze  at  mountains,  trace  rivers  to  their 
sources,  nor  even  to  examine  the  economy  of  soci- 
ty  and  the  condition  of  the  people.  He  had  a  soul 
to  admire  whatever  was  grand  or  beautiful  in  nature, 
and  to  be  strongly  affected  with  the  various  states  of 
human  existence,  as  his  observations  abundantly 
prove  ;  but  he  suffered  these  to  make  an  incidental 
claim  only  on  his  attention,  keeping  them  subordi- 
nate to  his  great  design  and  absorbing  purpose. 
Hence  he  stopped  no  longer  in  any  place,  than  was 
necessary  to  prepare  for  a  new  departure.  Three 
days  he  and  his  companion  stayed  at  Tobolsk,  and 
then  continued  their  journey  to  Barnaoul,  the  capi- 
tis of  the  province  of  Kolyvan.  At  this  place  he 
\^as  to  leave  Dr  Brown  and  proceed  alone.  For 
this  gentlemen  he  had  contracted  a  sincere  esteem, 
and  was  prevailed  upon  to  remain  in  Barnaoul  a 
week,  out  of  regard  to  the  kindness  and  in  compli- 
ance with  the  solicitation  of  his  friend.  "■ 
rfi  In  many  respects  Barnaoul  is  one  of  the  most 
agreeable  places  of  residence  in  Siberia.  The  prov- 
ince of  which  it  is  the  capital,  is  a  rich  mining  dis- 
trict, and  this  brings  together  in  the  town  persons  of 
science  and  respectability,  who  are  employed  as 
puljic  officers  to  superintend  the  working  of  the 


i^i! 


'#> 


/: 


^v'^'V- 


-.,*,i*^'*^'^'^- 


,"'V-..A"^ 


kv» 


1 1 


.-#' 


•1 


i 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


189 


:'li 


'^'^e  surrounding  country,  moreover,  is  well 
;;riculture,  abounding  in  good  lands  for 


mines, 
suited  \.i 

pasture  aad  grain,  supporting  vast  herds  of  cattle, 
and  producing  vegetables  in  great  profusion.  In 
consequence  of  these  bounties  of  nature,  there  is 
an  overflowing  and  cheap  market,  an  absence  of 
want,  and  much  positive  happmess  among  the  peo- 
ple. 

Ledyard  was  lodged  at  Bamaoul  in  the  house  of 
the  treasurer,  by  whom  he  was  treated  with  great 
hospitality.  He  dined  twice  with  the  governor,  and 
also  with  two  old  discharged  officers  of  the  army, 
who,  at  their  own  request,  had  quitted  the  service, 
and  become  judges  and  justices  of  the  law.  He  was 
shown  the  armorial  bearings  of  forty-two  provinces 
in  the  empire.  The  governor  told  him,  that  the 
salt,  produced  by  the  salt  lakes  in  the  province  of 
Kolyvan,  yielded  somewhat  more  to  the  revenue 
than  the  mines,  and  also  that  the  aggregate  amount 
of  revenue  from  that  province  was  greater  than  from 
any  other.  In  respect  to  gold  and  silver,  this  is  no 
doubt  the  case  at  the  present  day,  but  in  regard  to 
the  salt  it  is  uncertain.  There  are  said  to  be  sdjt 
lakes  in  Siberia,  so  much  saturated  with  saline  mat* 
ter,  that  the  salt  crystaiizes  of  its  own  accord,  and 
adheres  in  this  state  to  pieces  of  wood  and  other 
substances  put  into  the  water. 
:■  Kolyvan  is  near  the  middle  point  between  Peters- 
burg and  Okotsk,  it  being  somewhat  more  than  three 
thousand  miles  in  opposite  directions  to  each  of  those 
places.*  Barnaoul  stands  on  the  bank  of  the  river 
Obe,  which  is  a  broad  and  noble  stream  where  it 


* 


■k. 


> 


I'V 


>■■'*  In  his  Journal,  Ledyard  enters  the  following  distances,  which 
he  says  were  taken  from  a  Russian  Almanac.    In  the  the  second 


♦' 


-.,"%..  ^ 


'  *f»^^  ipr-  i»<»:,rfai(ft*-*  < 


»V*^«;  )«'*''- »".-^- *  ■  ••«(*_***» 


'.? 


190 


i^ 


LIFE  OP  JOHN  LEDVARD. 


passes  the  town.  It  is  in  the  fifty-third  degree  of 
north  latitude,  and  in  the  ^1  week  in  July  the 
mornings  were  exceedingly^TTOt,  the  sky  cloudless 
and  serene,  and  the  atmosphere  perfectly  calm. 
In  the  afternoon  a  gentle  breeze  would  spring 
up,  increase  by  degrees  till  evening,  and  continue 
through  the  night.  Rains  are  not  frequent  in 
Kolyvan. 

The  following  extract  is  from  that  part  of  the 
jouma)^  which  was  written  at  Bamaoul,  and  contains 
remarks  on  what  came  under  the  writer's  notice 
during  his  journey  to  that  place. 

"The  face  of  the  country  from  Petersburg  to 
Koljrvon  is  one  ccHitniued  plain.  The  soil  befcnre 
Aitivii^  at  Kazan  is  very  well  cultivated ;  after^ 
wards  cultivation  gradually  ceases.  On  the  route 
to  Kazan  we  saw  large  mounds  of  earth,  often  of 
twenty,  thirty,  and  forty  feet  elevation,  which  I  con- 
jectured, and  on  inquiry  found,  to  be  ancient  sepul- 
chres. There  is  an  analogy  between  these  and  our 
own  graves,  and  the  Egyptian  pyramids ;  and  an 
exact  resemblance  between  them,  and  thode  piles 
«K»p6sed  to  be  of  monumental  earth,  which  are 
Imind  among  sbme  of  the  tribes  of  North  America. 
We  first  saw  Tartars  before  our  arrival  at  Kazan ; 
and  also  a  woman  with  her  nails  painted  red,  like 
the  Cochin-Chinese. 


'( 


■-> 


column  I  have  reduced  the  versts  to  English  miles.    Three  versts 

are  equal  to  two  miles. 

Versts.  Miles. 

From  Petersburg  to  Bamaoul    ....      4539  ...   3028 

"    Bamaoul  to  Irkutsk       .      ...      .1732  .   .   .    1155 

"    Irkutsk  to  Yakutsk 2266  .   .   .   1510 

"    Yakutsk  to  Okotsk 952  .   .    .     6S5 

**    Oketsk  to  Awateka  in  Kamtschatka    .     1066  ...     710 


Whole  distance  from  Petersburg  to  Kamtschatka  10664 


It 

\      .1 


7036 


.   •   ^*   *  I 


w 


I 


>  ■     « 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


191 


f '  "  Notwithstanding  the  modern  introducticNi  of  lin- 
en into  Russia,  the  garments  of  the  peasantry  still 
retain  not  only  the  foltn,  but  the  manner  of  orna- 
menting them,  which  was  practised  when  they  wore 
skins.  This  resembles  the  Tartar  mode  of  orna- 
menting, and  is  but  a  modification  of  the  vmmpum 
ornament,  which  is  still  discernible  westward  from 
Russia  to  Denmark,  among  the  Finlanders,  Lap- 
landers, and  Swedes.  The  nice  gradation  by  which 
I  pass  from  civilization  to  incivilization  appears  in 
everything ;  in  manners,  dress,  language ;  and  par- 
ticularly in  that  remarkable  and  important  circum- 
stance, color  J  which  I  am  now  fully  convinced  ori- 
ginates from  natural  causes,  and  is  the  effect  of 
external  and  local  circumstances.  I  think  the  same, 
of  feature.  I  see  here  the  large  mouth,  the  thick  lip, 
the  broad  flat  nose,  as  well  as  in  Africa.  I  see  also 
in  the  same  village  as  great  a  difference  of  com- 
plexion ;  from  the  fair  hair,  fair  skin,  and  white  eyes, 
to  the  olive,  the  black  jetty  hair  and  eyes ;  and  these 
all  of  the  same  language,  same  dress,  and,  I  sup- 
pose, same  tribe.  I  have  frequently  observed  in 
Russian  villages,  obscure  and  dirty,  mean  and  poor, 
that  the  women  of  the  peasantry  paint  their  faces, 
both  red  and  white.  I  have  had  occasion  from  this 
and  other  circumstances  to  suppose,  that  the  Rus- 
sians are  a  people,  who  have  been  early  attached  to 
luxury.  They  are  everywhere  fond  of  eclat.  '  Sir,* 
said  a  Russian  officer  to  me  in  Petersburg,  *  we  pay 
no  attention  to  anything  but  Sclat.^  The  contour  of 
their  manners  is  Asiatic,  and  not  European.  The 
Tartars  are  universally  neater  than  the  Russians, 
particularly  in  their  houses.  The  Tartar,  however 
situated,  is  a  voluptuary ;  and  it  is  an  original  and 
striking  trait  in  their  character,  from  the  Grand 


\! 


ii. 


'*li"'''*''*''"«P<<P"w«p||||P 


192 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


!•',    ♦  ' 


^:  1 


I  ! 


SeignicH*,  to  him  who  pitches  his  tent  on  the  wild 
frontiers  of  Russia  and  Chi^a,  that  they  are  more 
addicted  to  real  sensual  |plasure,  than  any  other 
people.  The  Emperor  of  Germany,  the  Kings  of 
England  and  France,  have  pursuits  thai  give  an  en- 
tirely (Merent  turn  to  their  enjoyments ;  and  so 
have  their  respective  subjects.  Would  a  Tartar 
hve  on  Vive  le  Roi9  Would  he  spend  ten  years  in 
constructing  a  watch  ?  or  twenty  in  forming  a  tele-  ' 
scope?  '  !■ 

"  In  the  United  States  of  America,  as  in  Russia, 
we  have  made  an  effort  to  convert  our  Tartars  to 
think  and  act  like  us ;  but  to  what  effect?  Among 
us,  Sampson  Occum  was  pushed  the  farthest  within 
«the  pale  of  civilization  ;  but  just  as  the  sanguine 
divine,  who  brought  him  there,  was  forming  the 
highest  Expectations,  he  fled  and  sought  his  own 
elysium  in  the  bosom  of  his  native  forests.  In  Rus- 
sia they  have  had  none  so  distinguished  ;  here  they 
are  commonly  footmen,  or  lackeys  of  some  other 
kind.  The  Marquis  de  la  Fayette  had  a  young 
American  Tartar,  of  the  Onandago  tribe,  who  came 
to  see  him ;  and  the  Marquis,  at  much  expense,  equip- 
ped him  in  rich  Indian  dresses.  After  staying  some 
tune,  he  did  as  Occum  did.  When  I  was  at  school 
at  Mount  Ida  [Dartmouth  College],  many  Indians 
Were  there,  most  of  whom  gave  some  promise  of 
being  civilized,  and  some  were  sent  forth  to  preach ; 
but  as  far  as  I  observed  myself,  and  have  been  since 
informed,  they  all  returned  to  the  home  and  customs 
of  their  fathers,  and  followed  the  inclinations,  which 
nature  had  so  deeply  enstamped  on  their  character." 

To  these  remarks  is  here  added  part  of  a  letter, 
written  to  Mr  Jefferson  from  Bamaoul,  dated  on  the 
twenty-ninth  of  July,  1787.  »riiij.  x^      .rj;   ;|^s^^ 


(/ 


m 


|. 


at. 


t^::- 


■:^' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTARD. 


193 


U 


» 


"\: 


:Vi 


"  How  I  have  come  thus  far,  and  how  I  am  to  go  . 
still  farther,  is  an  enigma  that  I  must  disclose  to  you 
on  some  hap[)ier  occasion.  I  shall  never  be  able, 
without  seeing  you  in  person,  and  perhaps  not  then, 
to  inform  you  how  universally  and  circumstantial- 
ly the  Tartars  resemble  the  Aborigines  of  Ameri- 
ca. They  are  the  same  people  ;  the  most  ancient 
and  the  most  numerous  of  any  other  ;  and  had  not  a 
small  sea  divided  them,  they  would  all  have  been 
still  known  by  the  same  name.  The  cloak  pf  civili- 
zation sits  as  ill  upon  them,  as  upon  our  American 
Tartars.  They  have  been  a  long  time  Tartars,  and 
it  will  be  a  long  time  before  they  will  be  any  other 
kind  of  people. 

"  I  shall  send  this  letter  to  Petersburg,  to  the  care 
of  Professor  Pallas.  He  will  transmit  it  to  you, 
together  with  one  for  the  Marquis,  in  the  mail  of  the 
Count  Segur.  My  health  is  perfectly  good  ;  hut 
notwithstanding  the  vigor ,  of  my  body,  my  mind 
keeps  the  start  of  me,  and  I  anticipate  my  future 
fate  with  the  most  lively  ardor.  Pity  it  is,  that  in 
such  a  career  one  should  be  subjected,  like  a  hor?e, 
tQ  the  beggarly  impediments  of  sleep  and  hunger. 

"  The  banks  of  the  large  rivers  in  this  country 
everywhere  abound  with  something  curious  in  the 
fossil  world.  I  have  found  the  leg-bone  of  a  very 
large  animal  on  the  banks  of  the  Obe,  and  have  sent 
it  to  Dr  Pallas,  requesting  him  to  render  me  an  acr 
count  of  it  hereafter.  It  is  either  an  elephant's  qt 
rhinoceros's  bone.  The  latter  animal  has  been  jn 
this  country.  There  is  a  complete  head  of  one  in 
a  state  of  high  preservation  at  Petersburg.  I  am  a 
curiosity  here  myself.  Those  who  have  heard  pf 
America  flock  round  to  see  me.  Unfortunately  the 
17 


f" 


^*, 


■%t 


H  ■ 


194 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTARD. 


I  ; 


m 


I  »i 


.  i^ 


marks  on  my  hands  *  procure  me  and  my  country- 
men the  appellation  of  wild  oien.  Among  the  bet- 
ter sort  we  are  somewhat  noM  known.  The  gov- 
ernor and  his  family  have  got  a  peep  at  the  history 
of  our  existence,  through  the  medium  of  an  anti- 
quated pamphlet  of  some  kind.  We  have,  however, 
two  stars,  that  shine  even  in  the  galaxy  of  Barnaoul,  . 
and  the  heahhs  of  Dr  Franklin  and  of  General 
Washington  have  been  drunk,  in  compliment  to  me,  ^ 
at  the  governor's  table.  I  am  treated  with  the  great- 
est hospitality  here.  Hitherto  I  have  fared  comfort- 
ably when  1  could  make  a  port  anywhere,  but  when 
totally  in  the  country  I  have  been  a  little  incommod-  ■ 
.e*\.  Hospitality,  however,  I  have  found  as  universal 
as  the  face  of  man.  When  you  read  this,  perhaps 
two  months  before  you  do,  if  I  do  well,  I  shall  be 
at  Okotsk,  where  I  will  do  myself  the  honor  to 
trobble  you  again,  and  if  possible  will  write  more  at 
large.  My  compliments  wait  on  all  my  Parisian 
friends." 

^  •  After  spending  a  week  very  agreeably  in  Barna- 
oul,  he  made  preparations  for  recommencing  his 
journey.     From  this  place  to  Irkutsk  it  was  arran- 

■  ged,  that  he  should  travel  post  with  the  courier,  who 
had  charge  of  the  mail.  All  things  being  in  readi- 
ness, he  writes,  "  I  waited  on  the  governor  with  my 
passport ;  he  was  well  pleased  with  it ;  gave  me  a 
corporal  to  conduct  the  affairs  of  the  mail ;  said  I 
had  nothing  to  do  but  sit  in  the  kibitka,  and  muster- 

.  ed  up  French  enough  to  say.  Monsieur^  je  vous 
souhaite  un  bon  voyage.  I  took  an  affectionate  fare- 
well of  the  worthy  Dr  Brown,  and  left  Barnaoul." 
The  next  stopping-place  on  the  route  was  Tomsk, 

V  *  Tb^  tattoo  marks  made  on  his  bands  at  Otaheite. 


M 


ifr' 


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■'.M 


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AV 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD, 


_,•«>■* 

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S 


distant  three  hundred  miles,  which  were  passed  over 
in  two  days  and  three  nights.  The  river  Tom, 
which  flows  near  this  town,  is  as  large  as  the  Irtish, 
where  it  is  crpsi^ped  by  the  main  road  above  Tobolsk, 
and  was  the  first  river  met  with  by  olir  tiaveller 
since  .leaving  Petersburg,  which  had  either  a  gravel- 
ly bqttom  or  shore.  On  its  banks  were  found  little 
mounds  of  earth,  which  were  ascertained  to  have 
been  the  habitations  of  the  natives,  who  dwelt  there 
before  the  conquest  of  the  country  by  the  Rus- 
sians.** The  nights,  he  remarked,  were  very  cold, 
more  so  than  he  had  known  them  in  any  country 
where  it  was  at  the  same  time  so  hot  by  day.  All 
tlie  way  from  Barnaoul,  and  particularly  in  its 
neighbourhood,  were  perceived  the  ruinous  effects  of 
the  violent  winds,  that  frequently  produce  great  de- 
vastation in  those  parts  of  Siberia.  Forest  trees 
and  fields  of  grain  were  indiscriminately  blown  down 
and  destroyed.     The  hospitality  of  the  inhabitants, 


^  In  Bell's  Journey  from  Petersburg  to  Pekin,  with  the  Russian 
emhassy,  in  the  year  1720,  the  author  gives  a  curious  account  of 
the  mounds  in  the  regiona  about  Tomsk.  He  con^^iders  them  the 
tomhs  of  ancient  heroes,  who  fell  in  battie.  "  Many  persons  go 
from  Tomsk,"  he  obseives,  "  and  other  parts,  every  summer,  to 
'these  graves,  which  they  dig  up,  and  find  among  the  ashes  of  the 
dead  considerable  quantities  of  gold,  silver,  brass,  and  some  pre- 
cious stones ;  but  particularly  hilts  n{  swords  and  armour.  They 
find,  also,  ornaments  of  saddles  and  bridles,  and  other  trappings 
for  horses  ;  and  even  the  bones  of  horse^^,  and  sometimes  those  of 
elephants.  Whence  it  appears,  that  when  any  general  or  person 
of  distinction  was  interred,  all  his  aims,  his  favorite  horse,  and 
servant,  were  buried  with  him  in  the  same  grave.  This  custom 
prevails  to  this  day  among  the  K»«lmuks  and  other  Tartars,  and 
seems  to  be  of  gieat  antiquity.  It  appears  from  the  number  of 
graves,  that  many  thousands  must  have  fallen  on  these  plains,  ^r 
the  people  have  continued  to  dig  for  such  treasure  many  ye«ra, 
and  still  find  it  unexhausted.  They  are  sometimes,  indeed,' In- 
terrupted and  robbed  of  all  their  booty  by  parties  of  the  Kalmyks, 
who  abhor  the  disturbing  the  ashes  of  the  dead."    Vol.  I.  p.  268. 


;jAi 


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..>,,.„. 


'   ptfW"'- 


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IM 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


however,  was  unabated.  They  could  rarely  be  pr^ 
vailed  upon  to  take  anything  for  provisions  or  ac- 
commodation. On  one  occasioD,  for  as  much  barley 
soup,  onions,  quasa^  bread,  and  mij^  as  made  a 
hearty  meal  for  the  traveller  and  bis'  corporal,  the 
good  woman,  who  furnished  them,  consented  (o  re- 
ceive one  kopeek,  and  nothing  more.* 

They  were  detained  two  or  three  days  at  Tomsk, 
waiting  for  a  mail,  that  was  coming  by  anotlier  route 
from  Tobolsk ;  but  the  commandant  was  affable  and 
generous,  and  did  not  allow  the  time  to  pass  heavily. 
He  was  somewhat  of  a  singularity,  being  a  French- 
man, born  in  Paris,  now  seventy-three  years  old, 
having  resided  twenty-five  years  in  Siberia,  and  more 
than  thirty  in  Russia.  He  spoke  his  native  language 
imperfectly,  and  wrote  it  still  worse.  His  favorite 
topic  was  the  dignity  of  his  birth,  and  the  high  rank 
of  his  family.  But  Ledyard  wished  to  know  more 
about  Siberia  at  that  moment,  than  of  the  genealogy 
or  rank  of  the  families  in  France,  and  he  ventured 
to  ask  the  old  man  if  the  town,  or  its  environs,  af- 
forded anything  valuable  or  curious  in  natural  histo- 
ry. His  answer  was,  that  there  were  thieves, 
rogues,  liars,  and  villains  of  every  description.  The 
conversation  was  pushed  no  farther  in  the  way  of 
philosophical  inquiry,  for  it  was  evident  the  French- 
man's thoughts  had  run  very  little  in  that  channel. 

There  was  truth  in  his  remark,  although  uttered 
somewhat  out  of  placQ.  Tomsk  had  long  been  the 
rendezvous  of  the  worst  class  of  exiles,  who  had 
beel^  banished  for  their  crimes,  and  could  not  be 


*Th6  value  of  the  kopeek  varies  at  difTerent  times.  Ledyard 
states  it  to  have  heen  about  Qoe  tenth  of  an  English  penny,  when 
he  was  in  Siberia.  In  Dr  Clarke's  Travels  it  is  put  down  as  equal 
to  an  EngUsh'halfpenny.         ^  ,,   . 


«!■ 


\ 

.■••*-:?. 


i 


^^ 


•^1  ^' 


LIFE  or  JOHN  LEDYAROr 


197 


pre- 
ac- 
irley 
ie  a 
,  the 

0  re- 

imsk, 
route 
3  and 
avily. 
Bnch- 

1  old, 
more 
5uage 
vorite    . 
I  rank 

more 
jalogy 
itured 
IS,  af- 
histo-' 
iieves,^ 
The 
vay  of 
ranch-? 
mel. 
ttered . 
en  the 
had 
not  bftf 


'tHP* 


lO 


Ledyard 
y,  when 
as  e^ual 


-■%,,■• 


expected  to  exercise  a  very  salutary  influence  on 
society,  or  to  become  pnttern  members  of  it  them- 
selves. Poverty  and  wretciiedness,  the  accompa- 
niments of  vH}fl«  formed  here  some  of  the  prominent 
objects  in  the  fopeground  of  the  picture,  and  beggars 
daily  thronged  the  streets,  as  in  the  most  populous  re- 
gions of  the  civilized  world.  The  charity  and  kind 
feelings  of  the  better  sort  of  inhabitants,  however, 
afforded  a  pleasing  contrast  to  this  debasement  and 
suffering.  Ledyard  observes,  that  the  family  with 
whom  he  lodged,  were  accustomed  every  morning  to 
lay  aside  in  the  window  ten  or  twelve  farthing  pieces 
for  the  ciiaritable  purposes  of  the  day.  Consider- 
ing the  extraordinary  cheapness  of  food,  this  would 
afford  relief  to  many  persons.  The  beggars  began 
their  rounds  at  an  early  hour,  and  went  regularly 
from  house  to  house,  and  were  very  rarely  sent  away 
without  something.  Those,  who  did  not  give  money, 
gave  bread.  Some  of  the  beggars  were  in  irons. 
The  people  asked  no  questions,  but  appeared  to 
give  cheerfully  and  without  grudging.  Tiie  demand 
was  uniformly  made,  pour  Vamour  de  Dieu,  "  for 
which,"  says  the  journalist,  "  one  may  have  more  in 
tliis  country  than  in  any  other  I  have  seen." 

In  ten  days  from  the  time  of  leaving  Tomsk,  the 
traveller  and  his  corporal  were  safely  arrived  in  Ir- 
kutsk, over  a  road,  of  which  he  speaks  in  no  terms 
of  commendation.  The  river  Yenissey  was  crossed 
at  the  town  of  Krasnojarsk,  where  the  commandant 
pressed  him  to  stop  long  enough  to  dine,  and  cele- 
brated the  event  of  a  stranger's  arrival,  with  such 
free-  potations  as  to  become  intoxicated.  Prom 
Tomsk  to  Yenissey  the  country  exhibited  rather  an 
agreeable  aspect,  and  marks  of  cultivation.  Led- 
yard observes,  that  in  this  region  he  "  first  finds  th« 
17* 


*ii' 


I 


198 


Un  or  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


real  craggy,  peaked  hill,  or  mountain,"  and  from 
Krasnoiarsk  to  Irkutsk  was  the  first  stony  road, 
which  he  had  passed  over  in  the  Russian  dominions. 
The  streets  of  Tobolsk,  and  some  of  j^  other  towns 
on  his  route,  were  paved  with  woodk  ^ 

**  Passing  on  cast  from  the  Yenissey  to  Irkutsk  the 
country  is  thinly  peopled.  A  very  few,  and  those 
miserable  houses,  are  to  be  seen  on  the  road,  and 
none  at  all  at  a  distance  from  it.  The  country  is 
hilly,  rough,  mountainous,  and  covered  with  thick 
forests.  The  rivers  here  also  have  all  rocky  beds, 
and  are  rapid  in  the  degree  of  three  to  five  miles  an 
hour.  The  autumnal  rains  are  begun,  and  they 
have  set  in  severely.  I  am  now  in  Irkutsk,  and  have 
stayed  in  my  quarters  all  day  to  take  a  little  rest, 
after  a  very  fatiguing  journey,  rendered  so  by  sundry 
very  disagreeable  circumstances  ;  going  with  the 
courier,  and  driving  with  wild  Tartar  horses,  at  a 
moat  rapid  rate,  over  a  wild  and  ragged  country  i 
breaking  and  upsetting  kibitkas ;  beswormed  with 
musquetoes  ;  all  the  way  hard  rains ;  and  when  I 
arrived  at  Irkutsk  I  was,  and  had  been  for  the  last 
forty-eight  hours,  wet  througli  and  through,  and  CQV« 
ered  with  one  complete  mas»  of  inud«" 


'  i 


ru 


I.''! 


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H*<V^  -T'    ■•* 


.  t 


^        ^  •, 


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4 


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m* 


LirS  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


CHA^n^ER  IX. 


199     . 


:r^j 


4^ 


J? 

<5 


\^ 


R«tidenc«  at  Irlnilik. — MiH<  il<«ncoiit  rcni«r)iti  on  the  inhabittntB, 
and  the  produetfMMi  of  ttu  couolry.— Aceoant*  uf  the  Tartan. — 
Untucccsaful  •tt9ni|i(*>  to  civili/<  *>tein. — Fur  trado  on  (he 
American  coant. — Vloit  i  ilie  Lake  Baikal.  —Further  rtrniarks  on 
,'  tke  character  and  manners  of  the  Kaliiiuks  and  '  tli«r  Tartars.-^ 
Leaves  Irkutsk  for  the  river  Lena  —Scenery  around  the  Raikal. 
— Rivers  flowing  into  it. — Extruoi  linary  depth  of  its  waiem. — 
They  are  fresh,  but  contain  seals,  and  fi«h,  peculiar  to  the 
ocean. — Estimate  of  the  number  of  rivers  in  Hiberia,  and  of  the 
quantity  of  water  they  pour  into  the  Frozen  Oceuii. — Ledyan'. 
proceeds  down  the  Lena  in  a  bateau. — Romantic  Hccnery  along 
the  margin  of  tlio  river. — Hospitality  of  tlie  inhabitantif.— Ends 
bis  voyage  at  Yakutsk. 

liEDTARD  Stayed  in  Irkutsk  about  ten  days,  and  his 
observations  and  general  reflections  during  that  time 

yifnay  be  best  understood  by  extracts  from  his  journal, 

'  as  they  were  written  on  the  spot.  They  are  ra-her 
in  the  nature  of  hints  a.id  first  thoughts,  than  v^  a 

I  regular  narrative ;  but  they  will  show  his  inquisi  ive 
turn  of  mind,  and  his  eagerness  for  acquiring  sur;h 
knowledge,  as  accorded  with  the.  general  objects  of 
his  travels. 

"  August  16th.  I  have  not  been  out  this  morning, 
but  I  shrewdly  suspect  by  what  I  see  from  my  poor 
talc  window,  that  I  shall  even  here  find  the  fashion- 

'  able  follies,  the  ridiculous  extravagance,  and  ruinous 
iclat  of  Petersburg. — I  have  been  out,  and  my  sus-* 
picions  were  well  founded.  Dined  with  a  brigadier, 
a  colonel,  and  a  major,  a  little  out  of  town ;  they  ar6 
Germans.  Had  at  the  table  a  French  exile,  wi^ 
had  been  an  adjutant.  Scarcely  a  day  passes  \^ 
an  exile  of  some  sort  arrives.  Most  of  the  inhabit- 
ants of  this  remote  part  of  Siberia  are  convicts. 
The  country  here  was  formerly  inhabited  by  ^ 


\ 


—I 


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'?-:.-  ■;>" 


:*-      Hfr 


% 


'•     .M 


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(  \ 


H/ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEHYARD. 


;Iud< 


Mongul  or  Kalmi  k  Tartars,  who  are,  I  conclude, 
tlie  same  people.  Find  no  account  of  the  Calumet. 
The  French  eiciM  had  been  at  Quebec,  and  thinks 
the  Tartars  here  much  inferior  to  th#  Anferican  In- 
dians, both  in  their  understanding  ioid  persons.  I 
observe  the  Tongusians^have  not  the  Mongul  or 
Kalmuk  faces,  but  moderately  long,  and  considerably 
like  the  European  face.  These  Tongusians  form" 
the  second  class  of  Tartars,  so  obviously  distinguish- 
able by  their  features  from  other  Tartars,  and  from 
Europeans.  What  1  call  the  third  class  are  the  light-# 
eyed  and  fair-cornplexioned  Tartars,  which  class  I 
believe  includes  the  Cossacs.  The  Tchuktchi  are 
the  only  northern  Tartars,  that  remain  unsubjected 
to  the  government. 

"  The  town  of  Irkutsk  is  the  residence  of  thflf!; 
gdVernor-general,  Jacobi,   and  of  a   military   com-^ 
mander,  and  has  in  it  two  battalions  of  infantry.     It^ 
has  two  thousand  poor  log  houses,  dnd  ten  churches.^ 
Jacobi's  authority  extends  from  here  to  the  Pacific^^ 
Ocean,  an  immense  territory.    I  waited  this  morning'^ 
on  the  director  of  the  bank,  Mr  KaramyschefF,  who 
was  a  pupil  of  Linnaeus.     He  is  very  assiduous  to 
oblige   me  in  everything,  and  sent  for  three  Kal- 
muks  n\  the  dress  of  their  country.     Nothing  par- 
ticularly curious  about  them,  but  their  pipes,,  which 
are  coarsely  made  of  copper  by  themselves  j  the 
form    altogether   Chinese.      Karamyscheff  informs 
me,  that  the  Monguls  and  Kalmuks  are  the  same 
people.     From  his  house  I  went  with  the  Con&eiller 
.  (PEtatf  who  introduced  me  to  Jacobi,  the  governor. 
He  is  an  old,  venerable  man,  and  although  1  believe,i- 
with  Pallas,  that  he  is  un  homme  de  boisf  yet  he  re- 
ceived me  standing  and  uncovered.     Our  conversa- 
tion was  mer,ely  respecting  my  going  with  the  post» 


'•„« 


1.  -   -'.<T 


m 


% 


-'*v'. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYA^ 


tb. 


Wk 


"*!?■■ 


t  \ 


3rms 
ame 
Uler 
•nor. 
eve, 

re-  J' 
•rsa-  i 

ost,  f 


which  he  granted  me,  and,  besides,  told  me  that  I 
should  be  particularly  well  accommodated,  wkhed 
me  a  successful  voyage,  and  that  ftiy  travels  might 
be  productivii' of  information  to  mankind.  I  con- 
versed with  Im^  in  French,  through  the  interpreta- 
tion of  the  Coniseiller. 

"This  latter  gentleman  gave  me  the  following  in- 
formation. 'The  white  Tartars  you  saw  about 
Kazan  are  natives  of  that  country,  and  we  call  them 
Kazan  Tartars.  Kazan  was  once  a  kingdom  of 
theirs.  From  this  place  to  Yakutsk  you  pass  among 
the  Kalmuks.  At  Yakutsk  you  will  see  the  Yakuti, 
and  also  the  Tongusians,  who  are  more  personable 
than  the  Kalmuks,  or  Monguls,  and  more  sensible  ; 
but  the  Yakuti  are  more  sensible  than  either.  They 
are  indeed  a  people  of  good  natural  parts  and  gen- 
ids,  and  by  experience  are  found  capable  of  AOf 
kind  of  learning.  From  Yakutsk  you  pass  through 
the  Tongusians  all  the  way  to  Okotsk. .  In  the  time 
of  Jenghis  Khan  the  Thibet  Tartars,  that  is,  the 
Kalmuks,  or  Monguls,  made  incursicms  into  this 
country.  We  have  two  hundred  thousand  Russians) 
and,  as  nearly  as  we  can  estimate,  half  that  number 
of  Indians  of  all  descriptions,  in  this  province.  Mar- 
riages in  and  near  the  villages  take  place  between 
the  Russians  and  Tartars,  but  they  are  not  frequent. 
I  believe  the  extreme  cold,  and  want  of  snow  here 
during  winter,  and  the  sudden  change  of  weather  in 
the  summer,  to  be  the  reason  why  we  can  have  no 
fruit  here.  We  have  often,  in  the  months  of  May 
and  June,  ice  three  and  four  inches  thick.  Besidesi 
this  country,  as  you  have  observed,  is  subject  to  ter- 
rible gales  of  wind,  which  blow  away  both  bud  and 
blossdm.  We  have  nevertheless  a  few  little  apples, 
which  we  eat  at  our  tables.  End  they  are  not  without 
flavor.'    Thus  much  the  Conseiller. 


#- 


*'^- 


'  -<'W 


;  *.  .»i 


i^' 


se^'  "'■'  7  - 


** 


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'AfiijtM  9«  m *f^lC—i <S»* ti *<»% ^ ^ 


d03 


£!fte 


m^dm^  LEDYAm. 


# 


i . 


"  The  forest  trees  in  this  country  are  almost  alto- 
gether birch  J  they  are  generally  rotten  at  the  heart. 
Mr  Karamyscheff  teljis  me,  that  there  are  many  bones 
of  the  rhinoceros  in  these  parts  of  Sfftreria,  and  also 
the  same  large  bones,  that  are  foundpn  the  banks  of 
the  Ohio  in  America.  It  seems,  that  the*  places  in 
which  to  find  those  bones,  and  other  curious  fossils, 
are  at  the  mouths  of  the  great  rivers  Yenissey,  Lena, 
Kolyma,  and  others,  among  the  islands  that  are 
formed  where  they  flow  into  the  sea.  Here  they 
are  all  lodged,  aft'^r  having  been  washed  from  under 
ground  by  the  rivers  in  the  different  countries,  which 
they  traverse. 

"August  17th.  To-day,  it  seems,  the  jubilee  is 
observed,  on  account  of  the  Empress'  having  reigned 
twenty-five  years.  In  coming  from  Karamyscheff's 
I  met  the  governor-general  and  his  suite  of  officers, 
the  brigadier  I  dined  with  yesterday,  and  other  dig- 
nitaries, to  the  number  of  two  hundred,  all  going  to 
dine  with  the  governor,  who  keeps  open  house  on 
the  occasion.  The  governor  and  other  officers  salut- 
ed me  as  they  passed  ;  those,  who  did  not  know  me, 
wondering  what  could  procure  such  attention  to  one 

^:;.8o  poorly  and  oddly  attired.  I  was  pressed  by  some 
of  the  company  to  go  and  dine.  Had  my  clothes 
been  good,  1  would  have  gone.  But  I  dined  with 
Karamyscheff.  It  is  a  Tartar  name,  and  he  is  of 
Tartarian  extraction.  Saw  an  appletree  in  his  gar- 
den. The  fruit,  as  he  described  it.  would  be  as  large 
as  a  full  sized  pea  in  France  or  England.  It  is  the 
genuine  appletree,  and  their  naturalists  distinguish  it 
by  the  name  of  the  pyrus  baccata.  These  are  the 
only  apples  in  Siberia. 

"  Karamyscheff  says  the  Yakuti  Tartars  are  the 

""^teritables  Tartars,  by  which  1  understand,  that  they 


.f*.'-- 


m 


:^/»<i 


,'5- 


'^ 


# 


-,\:.i-4a*-- 


u 


-Wf^'' 


's'  -  r.^r- .. 


^,  .ysii^^j,,,. 


^'' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


f03 


are  a  Ie$s  mixed  race  than  the  others.  Their  Ian- 
0:  guage  he  says  is  the  oldest  language,  and  that  other 
tribes  understand  it.  The  Yakuti  formerly  possess- 
ed this  country,  but  they  were  driven  out  by  the  ^ 
Kalmuks,  who  made,  a  succession  of  attacks  upon 
them,  and  pursued  them  to  the  Lena,  down  which 
/>  they  fled,  and  settled  at  Yakutsk.  KaramyschefT^ 
has  in  his  house  four  children  descended  from  a  *' 
;  Kalrauk  father  and  Russian  mother.  The  first  re-  " 
sembles  the  father,  and  is  entirely  Kalmufe ;  the 
second  the  mother,  with  fair  hair  and  eyes ;  one  of 
the  others  is  Kalmuk,  and  the  other  Russian.  They 
are  all  healthy  and  well  looking  children.  I  saw 
three  of  them.  KaramyschefF  knows  not  among 
what  people  to  rank  the  Kamtschadales.  He  ac- 
knowledges with  me,  that  their  faces  are  entirely 
Kalmuk,  but  says  they  came  from  America.  This 
controverts  the  common  opinion,  that  America  was  . 
peopled  after  Asia.  But  he  is  carried  away  with  the 
wild  notions  of  the  French  naturalist,  Bufibn.  I 
find  universally,  that  the  Tartars  wear  their  beards. 
The  ears  of  Kalmuk,  or  Mongul  Tartars,  pro'ect 
universally  farther  from  the  head,  than  those  of  Eu- 
ropeans. I  measured  the  ears  of  the  Kalmuks  at 
Karamyscheff's  to-day,  and  on  an  average  they  pro- 
jected one  inch  and  a  half,  and  they  were  by  no 
means  extraordinary  examples.  The  ears  of  the 
Chinese  are  similar. 
_^  "  We  have  French  and  Spanish  wines  here,  but 
so  adulterated,  that  I  was  told  of  it  before  I  knew  it 
to  be  wine.  KaramyschefF  is  fully  sensible  of  the 
luxury  and  vanity  I  complain  of  in  this  country, 
which  is  but  beginning  to  begin,  as  1  told  him  to-day. 
He  laments  it,  and  declared  frankly  to  me,  that 
patriotism  and  the  true  solid  virtues  of  a  citizen  are 


,  :r>/W<^ 


"^i 


m 


#. 


%• 


'%■ 


.■^.;' 


■:,■&* 


.^_>  ..     > — '"T'l;.  .1  i.iTi  "'"" 


204 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARO. 


^^' 


^■- ■■,..:' 


i 


■rf' 


hf.^ 


M 


hardly  known.  The  geographical  termination  of 
Russia,  and  the  commencement  of  Siberia,  is  at  the 
city  of  Perm.  The  natural  boundary  is  the'  'river 
Yenissey.  I  observe  that  the  face  of  tae  ^  ountry  is 
very  different  on  this  side  of  the  Yenissey,  and  Ka- 
ramyscheff,  who  is  a  botanist,  says  the_  vegetable 
productions  differ  as  much. 

''^August  18th.  Went  this  morning  to  see  some 
curiosities  from  different  parts  of  Siberia.  Saw  also 
a  piece  of  Sandwich  Island  cloth,  which  was  obtain- 
ed from  Captain  Cook's  ship  at  Kamtschatka,  when 
he  was  there.  In  the  collection  was  the  skin  of  a 
Chinese  goat,  the  hair  of  which  was  the  whitest, 
longest,  and  most  delicate  that  I  ever  saw ;  also 
some  excellent  sea-otter  skins,  the  largest  of  which 
were  valued  at  two  hundred  roubles ;  hkewise  a 
tow,  quiver,  and  all  the  military  apparatus  of  a 
Kalmuk,  which  was  very  heavy.  The  Kalmuks 
and  Monguls  here  receive  the  common  name  of  the 
Buretti. 

I  went  to  the  Archbishop's  to  see  a  young  savage 
of  the  Tchuktchi.  The  good  bishop  had  taken 
great  pains  to  humanize  him  (as  Dr  Wheelock  had 
done  with  Sampson  Occum,  whose  story  I  related 
on  this  occasion  ) ;  but  he  informed  us,  that  he  had 
lately  taken  to  drink,  and  died  drunk ;  or,  in  the 
bishop's  own  words,  *  somebody  had  one  day  given 
him  half  a  rouble,  and  he  went  out  with  it,  but  never 
returned,  and  was  found  dead  by  the  side  of  a 
Kabak.'  Dined  with  my  friend  Karamyscheff  again 
to-day,  who  presented  me,  in  lieu  of  a  domestic,  a 
young  lieutenant  to  go  with  me  and  buy  a  few  things ; 
'But,'  said  he,  '  don't  put  any  money  in  his  hands, 
he  will  not  return  it.'  We  had  at  table  the  wife"  of 
a  clerk  to  Mr  Karamyscheff,  whose  mother  was  a 


'w-r;-: 


f't-Xr 


> 


■ftif.  'A 


¥^  ■ 


i-^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTARD. 


205 


savage  from  the  Tchuktchi  regions,  and  her  father  a 
Russian.  She  is  a  fine  creature,  and  her  complex*- 
ion  a  good  middling  color.  It  strengthens  my  opin- 
ion, that  the  difference  of  color  m  man  is  not  the 
effect  of  any  design  in  the  Creator,  but  of  causes 
simple  in  themselves,  which  will  perhaps  soon  be 
well  ascertained.  It  is  an  extraordinary  circum- 
stance, but  I  think  I  ought  not  on  that  account  to 
conclude,  that  it  is  not  the  result  of  natural  causes. 

"  August  19th.  For  the  second  time  I  have  ob- 
served, that  in  the  wells,  about  twelve  feet  down, 
there  is  a  great  deal  of  ice  adhering  to  the  sides.  I 
went  this  morning  to  see  a  nxerchant,  who  was  the 
owner  of  a  vessel,  that  had  passed  from  Kamtschatka 
to  different  parts  of  the  coast  of  America.  He 
showed  me  some  charts  rudely  descriptive  of  his 
voyages ;  says  there  are,  on  different  parts  of  the 
coast  of  America,  two  thousand  Russians ;  and  that, 
as  nearly  as  he  can  judge,  the  number  of  skins,  pro- 
cured by  them  in  that  country,  amounts  to  twelve 
thousand.  He  has  a  vessel  at  Okotsk,  which  leaves 
that  place  for  America  next  summer,  and  he  offers 
me  a  passage  in  her. 

"  Dined  to-day  with  a  German  colonel,  and  after 
dinner  set  out  for  the  Lake  Baikal,  which,  in  the 
Kahnuk  language,  signifies  the  JVorth  Sea.  The 
Kalmuks,  or  Monguls,  originally  lived  on  the  south  of 
this  lake,  towards  China  and  Thibet.  After  a  good 
and  cheerful  dinner  with  the  colonel,  we  mounted 
his  drosky,  with  post  horses,  and  took  our  departure 
for  the  lake.  After  seven  hours'  ride  over  a  misera- 
ble road,  we  arrived  at  the  little  hamlet  of  St  Nicho- 
las, where  formerly  the  Russian  ambassadors  resided, 
before  they  embarked  to  cross  the  lake  for  China. 
This  village  has  a  church  in  it,  dedicated  to  St 
18 


m 


/■' 


•;i^ 


sj^ie; 


.*- 


,*/ 


^ . 


206 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARDi 


i  \ 


Nicholas,  and  all  the  sailors  on  the  lake  resort  to  it. 
We  bdged  here  through  the  night,  and  early  next 
morning  resumed  par  journey,  and  reached  the 
border  of  the  lake.  Here,  are  six  or  seven  houses, 
among  which  the  largest  was  ordered  to  be  built  by 
the  Empress  for  the  accommodation  of  all  strangers  ' 
that  pass  this  way ;  and  also  a  galliot,  which  plies  as 
a  packet  in  the  summer  across  the  lake. 

"  We  hailed  the  galliot  which  was  at  anchor  in  the 
lake.  The  captain  came  ashore,  and  we  went  off 
with  him  in  a  small  boat,  with  line  and  lead  to  take 
soundings ;  but  haying  only  fifty  fathoms  of  hne,  and 
it  raining  very  hard,  we  could  not  make  much  pro- 
gress. At  the  distance  of  one  hundred  feet  firook 
the  shore,  my  whole  length  of  line  was  taken  up. 
We  retired  to  the  house,  breakfasted,  and  waited  an 
hour  for  the  rain  to  abate ;  but,  finding  it  to  continue, 
we  requested  the  captain  to  send  us  in  his  boat  to 
Irkutsk*  He  complied  with  our  request,  and  made 
us  a  canopy  of  hides  to  defend  us  from  the  raiii. 
We  sent  our  drosky  back  by  the  postboy,  and  em^^ 
barked  with  two  sailors  to  row  us.  We  passed 
along  the  margin  of  the  lake  to  the  outlet,  where  the 
river  Angara  begins,  and  thence  down  the  river  to 
Irkutsk,  a  distance  of  about  forty-five  miles.  This 
lake  is  seven  hundred  and  sixty-nine  versts  (five 
hundred  and  thirteen  miles)  in  its  longest  part,  andl 
sixty  versts  (forty  miles)  in  its  broadest.  Its  depth  is 
said  to  be  unfathomable.  It  has  an  annual  ebb  and 
fiux ;  the  one  is  caused  by  the  autumnal  rains,  and! 
the  other  by  the  dry  season  in  spring.  It  has  empty- 
ing into  it  one  hundred  and  six^-nine  small  stream:^ 
from  twenty  to  eighty  yards  wide,  and  three  larger 
ones  from  a  quarter  to  half  a  mile  wide.  It  has  but 
one  outlet,  by  which  to  dispose  of  the  redundancy 


W 


i'- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTARD. 


207     ' 


from  all  these  inOuxes,  and  that  is  the  river  Angara, 
which  is  a  Kalcnuk  name.  It  is  no  more  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  wide,  where  it  springs  from  the  lake,  is 
very  shallow,  and  far  from  being  rapid. 

"  August  22d.  The  government  of  Irkutsk  has 
four  provinces,  namely,  Irkutsk,  Yakutsk,  Nart- 
schintsk,  and  Okotsk.  These  are  divided  into  sev- 
eral districts  each.  The  governor  sent  me  a  surveyor, 
with  the  latest  chart  of  the  great  territory  embracing 
these  provinces.  By  measurement  I  found  its  lati- 
tudinal extent,  from  its  southern  extremity  to  the 
Icy  Ocean  north,  to  be  two  thousand  seven  hundred 
versts,  and  its  longitudinal  extent,  from  its  western 
boundary  to  Tchuktchi  Nos,  its  eastern  extremity  at 
Bering's  Strait,  to  be  three  thousand  nine  hundred 
versts. 

"  I  am  informed  by  the  governor  that  the  post  will 
not  be  ready  for  three  days.  ^* 

"  August  23d.  The  commerce  of  Irkutsk  is  very 
small  with  Europe,  and  consequently  at  present  at  a 
very  low  ebb,  since  there  is  no  open  trade  with  the 
Chinese,  its  nearest  neighbours  of  a  commercial  char- 
acter. The  frontiers,  between  this  country  and 
China,  are  principally  defended  by  an  army  of  Bu- 
retti,  or  Kalmuk  Tartars.  They  are  mostly  horse- 
men, like  the  Cossacs  in  the  western  dominions,  and 
amount  to  more  than  five  thousand  men.  There  are 
two  convents  near  this  town,  one  of  men  and  the 
other  of  women,  separated  by  a  river.  I  observe  in 
Siberia,  that  in  all  the  cities  there  is  one  great  bury- 
ing-place,  and  that  wherever  this  is  (and  it  is  com- 
monly out  of  the  town),  there  is  likewise  a  church, 
and  the  best  church  of  the  place.  This  is  but  an- 
other kind  of  pyramid,  a  large  mound,  or  a  mound 
modified. 


»•• 


'Wv*^y    'J?fi,M 


-■\  n 


"».     < 


■\  '*\ ,  "i , 


i 


308 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


\\ 


"  Auguit  25th.  This  morning  I  leave  town.  The 
land  is  well  cultivated  on  the  borders  of  the  river, 
and  is  good.  Among  the  Buretti,  or  Kalmuks,  I 
observe  the  American  inofxasin^  the  common  moc-  v 
casin,  like  the  Finland  moccasin.  The  houses  of 
the  Buretti  have  octagonal  sides,  covered  with  turf, 
with  a  fireplace  in  the  centre,  and  an  aperture  for 
smoke ;  the  true  American  mgwam,  and  like  the 
first  Tartar  house  I  saw  in  this  country,  which  was 
near  Kazan.  Mr  Karamyscheff  says  they  have  the 
wild  horse  on  their  Chinese  frontiers.  The  Buretti 
here  ride  and  work  the  horned  cattle ;  they  perforate 
the  cartilage  of  the  nose,  and  put  a  cord  through  it 
to  guide  them  by.  This  is  to  be  wondered  at,  as 
the  country  is  level,  and  they  have  vast  droves  of 
horses.  *" 

"  August  216th.  Hard  white  frost  last  night,  and 
very  cold.  Run  away  with  by  these  furious,  unbroke 
Tartar  horses,  and  saved  myself  each  time  by  jump- 
ing out  of  the  kibitka.  Thank  Heaven,  ninety  versts 
more  will  probably  put  an  end  to  my  kibitka  journey- 
ing for  ever." 

Such  are  some  of  the  brief  notes  entered  in  his 
journal,  while  he  was  at  Irkutsk.  He  was  detained 
on  account  of  the  delay  of  the  post,  and  made  the 
best  use  of  his  time  in  collecting  such  information, 
as  he  supposed  would  be  serviceable  to  him  in  his 
future  travels.  The  inquiries,  of  which  he  was  pe- 
culiarly fond,  respecting  the  different  races  of  men, 
their  origin,  classification,  and  distinctions,  were 
here  pursued  with  his  customary  diligence  and  dis-  ' 
crimination.  But  it  should  always  be  borne  in  mind, 
that  he  did  not  intend  his  journal  for  anything  more 
than  a  repository  of  loose  hints,  which  might  assist 
his  recollection,  when  the  occasion  for  using  them  . 


^ 


Ji^ 


\^ 


rt.  V. 


/,.     ^..'  -  , 


.*r*/'-A'.,^  "■'^■■■■'•v....- 


\) 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


209 


?ns,  were 


should  occur.  They  were  never  afterwards  revised, 
or  ahered,  but  have  been  preserved  in  the  original 
form,  in  which  he  recorded  them  on  his  journey. 
This  fact  should  claim  for  them  all  the  indulgence, 
which  their  incoherency,  or  want  of  maturity,  may 
seem,  to  require. 

The  Lake  Baikal  in  some  respects  is  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  bodies  of  water  on  the  globe. 
Other  travellers  have  given  its  dimensions  somewhat 
differently  from  Ledyard,  varying  from  three  hun- 
dred to  six  hundred  miles  in  length,  and  from  forty- 
five  to  sixty  miles  in  width  where  it  is  the  broadest. 
Ledyard  probably  measured  it  on  the  chart  just 
mentioned.  All  travellers  agree,  however,  that  the 
scenery  around  this  lake  is  the  most  picturesque, 
bold,  and  imposing  imaginable.  The  Angara  bursts 
out  from  the  lake,  between  immense  battlements  of 
perpendicular  rocks,  which,  if  we  may  judge  from 
Bell's  description  of  them,  surpass  in  grandeur  the 
famous  passage  of  the  Potomac  through  the  Blue 
Ridge  at  Harper's  Ferry.  For  about  a  mile  after 
leaving  the  lake,  there  is  a  continued  rapid,  extend- 
ing across  the  whole  breadth  of  the  stream,  and  ad- 
mitting of  no  boat  communication,  except  by  a 
narrow  channel  on  the  east  side,  up  which  boats  are 
towed,  and  prop^^ed  with  poles,  from  the  village  of 
St  Nicholas  into  the  lake.  Around  the  entire  cir- 
cumference of  the  lake,  and  particularly  on  the 
north,  lofty  and  craggy  mountains  are  seen  piled  one 
above  another,  in  the  wildest  confusion,  and  masses 
of  rock  rising  like  towers  from  the  very  margin  of 
the  water.  Down  the  ravines  and  precipices  thus 
formed,  the  numerous  tributary  streams  pour  them- 
selves into  this  great  reservoir.  Pallas  was  inclined 
to  believe,  that  the  enormous  gulf,  which  forms  the 
18*  'i^-       - 


<.  I 


fl 


4' 


210 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


basin  of  the  Baikal,  was  caused  by  a  violent  disnip-  ^^ 
tion  of  the  earth,  at  some  very  remote  period. 

The  Seiinga,  a  river  which  empties  itself  into  this 
lake  from  the  south,  is  larger  at  its  mouth  than  the 
Angara,  where  it  issues  from  the  lake»    It  has  its 
source  in  the  Chinese  dominions,  and  h  navigable 
for  many  miles  into  the  interior*     Another  river, 
called  the  Eastern  Angara,  and  probably  larger  than 
the   Seiinga,  comes  in  from  the  north.     To  these 
must  be  addc^  the  contributions  of  more  than  a 
hundred  and  sixty  other  streams  of  various  sizes. 
It  is  difficult  to  imagine,  what  becomes  of  the  im- 
mense quantity  of  water  thus  poured  into  the  lake, 
when  it  is  considered  that  there  is  but  a  single  out- 
let.    The  width  of  this  outlet  Ledyard  states  at  a 
quarter  of  a  mile,  but  Bell  says  it  appeared  to  'lim  a 
mile.     In  either  case  the  water  discharged  by  it 
would  be  in  no  proportion  to  the  quantity,  which 
falls  into  the  lake.     In  a  warmer  region,  as  in  that 
«;  where  the  lake  Tsad  is  situate  in  Afvica,  the  surplus 
might  be  easily  disposed  of  by  evaporation,  but  in 
so  cold  a  climate  as  that  of  Irkutsk,  this  is  hardly 
possible^    The  conjecture  of  an  internal  cfmimuni-- 
cation  with  the  great  ocean,  wouiCt  seem  to  afford 
1,  the  only  plausible  solution  of  the  dulftculty.     Lake^ 
k  Superior  contains  a  larger  bodj  of  water,  has  a 
small  outlet,  and  is  in  a  climate  perhaps  as  cold,  but 
it  receives  comparatively  slender  contributions  from 
rivers.     A  similar  remark  may  be  made  as  to  the 
Caspian  Sea,  and  the  Sea  of  Aral.    The  water  of 
i  the  Baikal  is  fresh.    No  bottom  has  ever  yet  been 
^  reached  by  the  sounding  line.    When  Bell  crossed 
it,  a  hundred  years  ago,  with  the  Russian  ambassa-- 
dor  on  his  way  to  Pekm,  a  line  of  more  than  nine 
hundred  feet  m  length  was  let  down  without  touchr  . 


;'      it 


lent  disrup' 
;riod. 

elf  into  this 
ith  than  the 

It  has  its 

is  navigable 

Dther  river, 

larger  than 

To  these 
tore  than  a 
irious  sizes, 
of  the  im- 
io  the  lake, 
single  out- 
states  at  a 
•ed  to  jim  a 
irged  by  it 
ntity,  which 
1,  as  in  that 
,  the  surplus 
ation,  but  in 
is  is  hardly 
I  ccmimuni- 
n  to  afford 
ilty.     Lake 
ater,  has  a 
as  cold,  but 
lutions  from, 
?  as  to  the 
he  water  of 
er  yet  been 
Sell  crossed 
in  ambassa-- 
e  than  nine 
lout  tQucb> 


« 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


ing  the  bottom.  The  report  of  Professor  Pallas  on 
this  point  is  not  so  explicit,  as  might  have  been  ex- 
pected from  a  scientific  traveller.  He  says,  that  a 
ball  of  packthread,  weighing  more  than  an  ouncBf 
had  been  used  as  a  sounding  line,  but  no  bottom  was 
found. ^  What  length  he  would  assign  to  an  ounce 
of  packthread  is  not  revealed  to  his  readers.  We 
have  seen,  that  one  hundred  feet  from  the  shore, 
Ledyard's  line  of  tliree  hundred  feet  met  with  no 
obstruction.  On  all  sides  the  shore  is  bold  and 
dangerous,  with  hardly  an  anchoring-place,  except 
at  the  mouths  of  the  large  rivers.  If  the  water 
could  be  removed,  there  would  probably  be  exposed 
a  cavity,  or  fissure,  equal  to  the  present  dimensions 
of  the  lake,  and  extending  to  a  great  depth  into  the 
earth.  Professor  Pallas  thinks  the  ordinary  level 
of  the  lake  was  once  higher,  and  that  it  flowed  over 
the  low  country  at  the  mouth  of  the  Selinga,  which 
is  now  inhabited.  No  lava,  or  volcanic  appear- 
ances, have  been  noticed  in  the  regions  about  the 
lake. 

It  is  considered  very  remarkable,  that  the  fish 
called  chien  de  mcr  is  found  in  the  Baikal.  This 
is  mentioned  by  Pallas  and  Ledyard.  The  natural 
element  of  this  fish  is  the  ocean,  and  it  is  very 
rarely  known,  aS;  the  Professor  says,  to  enter  rivers 
even  for  a  small  distance.  How  it  should  get  into 
the  Baikal,  a  fresh  water  lake  at  least  three  thou- 
sand miles  from  the  ocean,  taking  the  windings  of 
the  river  into  the  account,  is  deemed  a  problem  of 
no  easy  solution,  especially  as  this  fish  has  never 


*  "  Le  Baikal  a  une  si  grande  profondeur  dans  le  milieu,  et  atn 
les  cotes  septentrionales,  qu'on  a  i6rou\6  ud  peloton  de  ficelle  pe- 
sant  plus  d'une  once,  pour  sonder,  sans  trouver  de  fond."  Voj/' 
agea  du  Profeasew  Pallas,  Tom.  YI.  p.  118. 


li 


'  efe" 


if' 


p..  -Mi^B^^i^mm 


; 


.' 


i  t 


*  ( 


213 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


i;  . 


been  known  either  in  the  Yenissey,  or  Angara,  by  W 
which  ihe  waters  of  the  lake  pass  into  tlie  Northern 
Sea.*  He  is  not  satisfied  witii  this  course  of  mi- 
gration, and  would  look  for  a  more  extraordinary 
cause,  but  does  not  venture  an  opinion  on  the  sub- 
ject. The  Baikal  contains  seals,  also,  whose  usual 
residence  is  in  the  salt  water.  Whether  they  came 
up  the  Yenissey  and  Angara,  is  another  question  to  , 
be  settled.  Bell  thinks  they  did.  Pallas  is  silent 
on  the  subject,  and  so  is  Ledyard.  The  skins  of 
these  seals  are  preferred  to  those  of  salt  water  seals. 
The  inhabitants  have  a  treacherous  mode  of  taking 
these  animals.  In  winter  the  seals  are  obliged  oc- 
casionally to  come  up  through  holes  in  the  ice  for 
respiration  ;  over  these  holes  the  seal-catcher 
spreads  nets,  in  which  the  unwary  animal  is  entan- 
gled, when  he  escapes  from  his  nether  element. 

In  the  part  of  the  journal  to  which  we  have  now 
come,  are  contained  some  curious  speculations  re- 
specting the  number  of  rivers  in  Siberia,  and  the 
quantity  of  water,  which  iS  continually  disembogued 
by  them  into  the  Northern  Ocean.  On  his  route 
from  Moscow  to  Irkutsk,  Ledyard  had  crossed  twen- 
ty-five large  navigable  rivers,  whose  courses  were 
north.  The  Yenissey,  where  he  passed  it,  runs  at 
the  rate  of  about  five  miles  an  hour,  and  generally 
the  rivers  on  the  east  of  the  Yenissey  run  two  or 
three  miles  in  an  hour  swifter  than  the  western  ones,  • 
between  the  Yenissey  and  Moscow.  He  thinks 
these  twenty-five  rivers,  taken  together,  had  an  ave- 
rage width  of  haM"  a  mile  where  he  crossed  them. 
He,  also,  ascertained  that  there  were  twelve  rivers 
of  a  similar  description  between  Irkutsk  and  Kara- 

^i— — ^^      '  ■!     ■^■11  I  I     I-  I  1.  ■-    ■  ■  ■■  ■■  MIM^M  HI  m, 

*  The  Angara  falls  into  the  Yenissey  on  its  way  to  the  ocean. 


;'Si»t  ■ 


*'-^" 


K 


^WUffSf^':' 


f 


^ 


LIF£  OF  JOHN  LEOYARD. 


(■| 


il3 


1 1 


le  ocean. 


tschatka,  making  in  all  thirty-seven.  Allowing  these 
rivers  to  be  twice  as  wide  at  their  mouths,  as  at 
these  interior  points,  which  is  evidently  a  moderate 
estimate,  we  shall  have  a  column  of  water  thirty- 
seven  miles  wide,  and  of  the  average  depth  of  rivers 
a  mil^  in  u  idth,  constantly  flowing  into  the  Frozen 
Ocean,  with  a  velocity  of  at  least  three  or  four 
miles  an  hour.  His  inference  from  the  whole  is, 
that  such  an  immense  body  of  fresh  water  incessant- 
ly discharged,  at  points  so  near  each  other  and  so  near 
the  pole,  must  have  a  sensible  effect  in  creating  and 
perpetuating  the  ice  in  those  latitudes.  Whatever  may 
De  thought  of  this  theory,  it  is  an  unquestionable 
fact,  that  a  much  larger  quantity  of  water  is  conveyed 
by  rivers  from  Siberia  into  the  Frozen  Ocean,  :iian  li 
runs  into  the  sea  in  any  other  part  of  the  globe, 
within  the  same  compass.  Wheth'ir  these  streams  are 
mainly  fed  by  native  springs,  ir  by  the  melting  of 
snows,  and  whether  the  superabundance  of  these 
snows  is  produced  by  vapors  wafted  from  warmer 
climes,  are  topics  of  inquiry  that  must  be  left  to 
those,  who  are  inclined  to  pursue  them.  Snow 
cannot  be  formed  without  moisture,  but  where  the 
surface  of  the  earth  is  bound  in  frost  six  or  eight 
months  in  a  year,  there  can  be  little  evaporation  or 
moisture.  If  snow  still  continues  to  fall  and  accu- 
mulate, whence  is  it  that  the  atmosphere  is  surcharg- 
ed with  the  vapors  necessary  for  tliis  operation  ? 

We  left  our  traveller  with  his  kibitka,  on  his  first 
day's  journey  from  Irkutsk  northward.  It  was  now 
the  twenty-sixth  of  August,  and  forest  trees  had  be- 
gun to  drop  their  foliage,  and  put  on  the  garb  of 
autumn.  The  country  in  the  environs  of  Irkutsk 
was  well  cultivated,  containing  fine  fields  of  wheat, 
rye,  barley,  extensive  pasture  lands,  and  a  good 


i 


l« 


/  f 


;    I 


if 


i 

1 


:  i 


#  214 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


A 


breed  of  cattle.  The  sheep  were  of  the  large-ttuled 
kind,  such  as  are  found  at  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
but  the  mutton  was  not  well  flavored. 

In  company  with  Lieutenant  Laxman,  a  Swedish 
officer,  Ledyard  embarked  on  the  river  Lena,  at  a 
point  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles  distant  from  Ir- 
kutsk, with  the  intention  of  floating  down  its  current 
to   Yakutsk.      This  river  navigation  was  fourteen  ' 
hundred  miles.     Where  they  entered  their  boat,  the 
stream  was  no  more  than  twenty  yards  broad,  with 
here  and   there   gentle   rapids,  and  high,   rugged 
mountains  on  each  side.     They  were  carried  along 
from  eighty  to  a  hundred  miles  a  day,  the  river 
gradually  increasing  in  size,  and  the  mountain  scen- 
ery putting  on  an  infinite  variety  of  forms,  alter- 
nately subhme  and  picturesque,  bold  and  fantastic, 
with  craggy  rocks  and  jutting  headlands,  bearing  on 
their  braws  the  verdure  of  pines,  firs,  larches,  and 
other  evergreens,  and  Alpine  shrubs.     All  the  way  * 
to  Yakutsk,  the  river  was  studded  with  islands,  re- 
curring at  short  intervals,  which  added  to  the  ro- 
mantic effect  of  the  scenery,  and  made  a  voyage 
down  the  Lena,  notwithstanding  its  many  privations, 
by  no  means  an  unpleasant  trip  to  a  true  lover  of 
nature,  and  a  hardy,  veteran  traveller.     The  weath-  f 
er  was  growing  cold,  and  heavy  fogs  hung  about  the/ 
river  till  a  late  hour  in  the  morning.     They  daily' 
passed  small  towns  and  villages,  where  they  went 
ashore  for  provisions,  or  refreshment,  as  occasion 
required.  ■ 

"  August  30th.      We  stopped  at  a  village  this  ' 
morning  to  procure  a  few  stores.     They  killed  for 
us  a  sheep,  gave  us  three  quarts  of  milk,  two  loaves 
of  bread,  cakes  with  carrots  and  radishes  baked  in 
them;  onions,  one  dozen  of  fresh  and  two  dozen  of. 


'   ife* 


11 


!!. 


M 


i**?* 


^['■'iiiiV'r'-'l'^''''^' '  -'SS-V^-' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTARD. 


315 


salt  fish,  straw  and  bark  to  mend  the  covering  of  our 
boat  y  and  all  for  the  value  of  about  fourteen  pence 
sterling.  The  poor  creatures  brought  us  the  straw, 
to  show  us  how  their  grain  was  blasted  by  the  cruel 
frost,  although  it  had  been  reaped  before  the  twenty- 
first  of  August.  The  peasants  say  the  mountains 
here  are  full  of  bears  and  wolves.  We  have  seen 
a  plenty  of  wild  fowl,  which  we  shoot  as  we  please. 
In  the  river  is  the  salmon-trout.  The  people  fish 
with  seines,  and  also  with  spears  by  torchlight.  This 
latter  custom  is  a  very  universal  one  ;  they  fish  with 
a  torch  at  Otaheite.  The  double-headed  or  Esqiii* 
maux  paddle  is  used  here. 

"  September  2d.  My  rascal  of  a  soldier  stole  our 
brandy,  and  got  drunk,  and  was  impertinent.  I  was 
obliged  to  handle  him  roughly  to  preserve  order.— 
Fixed  a  little  sail  to  our  boat. 

"  September  4th.  Arrived  at  the  town  of  Kerin- 
ga  at  daylight,  and  stayed  with  the  commandant  till 
noon,  and  was  treated  very  hospitably.  Some  mer- 
chants sent  us  stores.  It  is  the  custom  here,  if  they 
hear  of  the  arrival  of  a  foreigner,  to  load  him  with 
their  Uttle  services,  it  is  aflmost  impossible  to  pass" 
a  town  of  ai^  kind,  without  being  arrested  by  them« 
They  have  the  earnestness  of  hospitahty ;  they 
crowd  their  tables  with  ever3rthing  they  have  to  eat 
and  drink,  and,  not  content  with  that,  they  fill  your 
wallet.  I  wish  I  could  think  them  as  honest  as  they 
are  hospitable.  The  reason  why  the  commandant 
did  not  show  his  wife,  was  because  he  was  jealous 
of  her.  I  have  observed  this  to  be  a  prevailing  pas- 
sion here.  The  river  on  each  side  as  we  pass  is 
bounded  by  vast  rocky  cliffs,  the  highest  mass  of 
rocks  I  ever  saw. 

"  September  15th.  Snow  squalls  with  fresh  gales; 
up  all  night  at  the  hehn  myself. 


m 


f' 


t '' 


I 


•,-"«m 


Wr 


ii-< 


bS^- 


>\i 


216 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD.' 


"  September  17lh.     Ninety  versts  from  Yakutsk.  V> 
Passed  yesterday  a  very  odd  arrangement  of  rocks, 
which  line  the  margin  of  the  river  for  sixty  versts. 
They  are  of  talc,  and  appear  formerly  to  have  been 
covered  with   earth,  but  are  now  entirely  bare. 
They  are  all  of  a  pyramidal  form,  and  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  height ;  detached  at  their  i 
basis,  and  disposed  with  extraordinary  regularity,  m 
These  rocky  pyramids  appear  to  terminate  the  long  ^ 
mountainous  south  and  east  uanks  of  the   Lena, 
which  have   uniformly  continued  from  Katchuga, ; 
where  I  first  embarked  on  the  river." 

On  the  eighteenth  of  September  he  arrived  at  Ya- 
kutsk, after  a  fatiguing  voyage  of  twenty-two  days, 
in  a  small  bateau  on  the  Lena.  During  this  period, 
he  had  passed  from  a  summer  climate  to  one  of 
rigorous  cold.  When  he  left  Irkutsk,  it  was  just  in  ■ 
the  midst  of  harvest  time,  and  the  reapers  were  in 
the  fields ;  but  when  he  entered  Yakutsk,  the  snow 
was  six  inches  deep,  and  the  boys  were  whipping 
their  tops  on  the  ice.  He  debarked  from  his  bateau 
two  miles  above  the  town,  and  there  mounted  a 
sledge,  drawn  by  an  ox,  with  a  Yakuti  Indian  on  his 
back,  and  guided  by  a  cord  passing  through  the  car- 
tilage of  his  nose.  ^ 


^  -rMtc 


•ill 


V  .-^A 


I ' 


^■im-,:- 


t^. 


^v 


,-•; 


1 1 


:.rs 


:%. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


,  ■'   V 


21T 


^ 


CHAPTER  X. 


'M^>» 


I*- 


# 


Interview  with  the  Commandant  of  Yakutsk. — Stopped  at  this  place 
on  account  of  the  advanced  state  of  the  season. — His  severe  dis- 
appointment at  this  event. — Detained  under  false  pretences. — 
Takes  up  his  residence  in  Yakutsk  for  the  winter. — Elephants* 
bones  on  the  banks  of  the  Lena,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  coun- 
try. — General  remarks  on  the  vaiious  tribes  of  Tartars  in  Siberia. 
— Characteristics  of  savages  in  cold  and  warm  climates. — Kal- 
muks  have  two  modes  of  writing. — Their  manner  of  living. — 
The  Yakuti  Tartars. — Influence  of  religion  upon  them. — The 
love  of  freedom  common  to  all  the  Tartars. — Their  dwellings. — 
Intermarriages  between  the  Russians  and  Tartars. — In  what  de> 
gree  the  color  of  descendants  is  affected  by  such  intermarriages. 
— PecuUarities  of  features  in  the  Tartar  countenance. — Form 
and  use  of  the  Tartar  pipe. — Dress. — Difficulty  of  taking  vocab- 
ularies of  unknown  languages. — Marriage  ceremonies. — Notions 
of  theology. — Practice  of  scalping. — Wampum. — Classification 
of  the  Tartars  and  North  American  Indians. — Language  a  crite- 
rion for  judging  of  the  affinity  between  the  different  races  of 
men. — Causes  of  the  difference  of  color  in  the  human  race.— - 
Tartars  and  American  Indians  the  same  people.  ^ 

Ledyard  immediately  waited  on  the  command- 
ant, delivered  his  letter  from  the  governor  general, 
and  made  known  Jus  situation  and  designs.  It  was 
his  wish' to  press  rorward  with  as  much  expedition 
as  possible  to  Okotsk,  lest  the  winter  should  shut  in  . 
before  he  could  reach  that  town,  where  he  hoped  to 
seize  upon  the  first  opportunity  in  the  spring,  to  se- 
cijre  a  passage  to  the  American  continent.  The 
distance  from  Yakutsk  was  between  six  and  seven 
hundred  miles.  Lodgings  were  provided  for  him 
by  order  of  the  commandant,  with  whom  he  had 
already  dined,  and  who  soon  after  came  to  see  him. 
Imagine  his  dismay,  when  the  commandant  assured 
him,  that  the  season  was  already  so  far  advanced  as 
to  render  a  journey  to  Okotsk  impossible. 

"  What,  alas,  shall  I  do,"  exclaims  he  in  his  jour- 
.  .        to  .  ' 


w 


*  * 


i0^- 


*«'#"' 


Ill  I  II  .iiimnii  ■■■!  I 


^ 


218 


•A„* 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


!'■ 


nal,  "  for  I  am  miserably  prepared  for  this  unlocked 
for  delay.  By  remaining  here  through  the  winter, 
I  cannot  expect  to  resume  my  march  until  May, 
which  will  be  eight  months.  My  funds  !  I  have  but 
two  long  frozen  stages  more,  and  I  shall  be  beyond 
tlie  want,  or  aid  of  money,  until,  emerging  from  the 
deep  deserts,  I  gain  the  American  Atlantic  States ; 
and  then,  thy  glowing  climates,  Africa,  explored,  I 
will  lay  me  down,  and  claim  my  Htle  portion  of  the 
globe  I  have  viewed  ;  may  it  not  be  before.  How 
many  of  the  noble-minded  have  been  subsidiary  to 
me,  or  to  my  enterprise ;  yet  that  meagre  demon, 
Poverty,  has  travelled  with  me  hand  in  hand  over 
half  the  globe,  and  witnessed  what — the  tale  I  will 
not  unfold !  Ye  children  of  wealth  and  idleness, 
what  a  profitable  commerce  might  be  made  between 
A  little  of  my  toil  might  better  brace  your 


us. 


bodies,  give  spring  to  mind  and  zest  to  enjoyment ; 
and  a  very  litde  of  that  wealth,  which  you  scatter 
around  you,  would  put  it  beyond  the  power  of  any- 
thing but  death  to  oppose  my  kindred  greetings  with 
all  on  earth,  that  bear  the  strmp  of  man.  This  is 
tlie  third  time,  that  I  have  been  overtaken  and  ar- 
rested by  winter ;  and  both  the  others,  by  giving 
time  for  my  evil  genius  to  rally  his  hosts  about  me, 
have  defeated  the  enterprise.  Fortune,  thou  hast 
humbled  me  at  last,  for  I  am  this  moment  the  slave 
of  cowardly  solicitude,  lest  in  the  heart  of  this  dread 
winter,  there  lurk  the  seeds  of  disappointment  to 
my  ardent  desire  of  gaining  the  o0)osite  continent. 
But  I  submit."  .   -^v    %  , 

These  melancholy  forebodings  were  but  too  literal- 
ly verified,  as  the  issue  will  prove.  In  a  letter  to 
Colonel  Smith  from  Yakutsk,  he  speaks  again  of  this 
disappointment  in  the  following  manner. 


,#■ 


ii    # 


-^ 


*#• 


y 


m 


-^•: 


'I 


*^' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


219 


"  The  commandant  assured  me,  that  he  had  or- 
ders from  the  governor  general  to  render  me  dl 
possible  kindness  and  service  j  '  But,  Sir,'  continued 
he,  '  the  first  service  I  am  bound  to  render  you  is, 
to  beseech  you  not  to  attempt  to  reach  Okotsk  this 
winter.'  He  spoke  to  me  in  French.  I  almost 
rudely  insisted  on  being  permitted  to  depart  imme- 
diately, and  expressed  surprise  that  a  Yakuti  Indian, 
and  a  Tartar  horse,  should  be  thought  incapable  oif 
following  a  man,  bom  and  educated  in  the  latitude 
of  forty.  He  declared  upon  his  honor,  that  the 
journey  was  impracticable.  The  contest  lasted  two 
or  three  days,  in  which  interval,  being  still  fixed  in 
my  opinion,  I  was  preparing  for  the  journey.  The 
commandant  at  length  waited  on  me,  and  brought 
with  him  a  trader,  a  very  good,  respectable  looking 
man  of  about  fifty,  as  a  witness  to  the  truth  and 
propriety  of  his  advice  to  me.  This  trader,  for  ten 
or  twelve  years,  had  passed  and  repassed  often  from 
Yakutsk  to  Okotsk.  I  was  obliged,  however  severe- 
ly I  might  lament  the  misfortune,  to  yield  to  two 
such  advocates  for  my  happiness.  The  trader  held 
out  to  me  all  the  horrors  of  the  winter,  and  the  se- 
verity of  the  journey  at  the  best  season ;  and  the 
commandant,  the  goodness  of  his  house  and  the 
society  here,  all  of  which  would  be  at  my  service. 
The  difficulty  of  the  journey  I  was  aware  of;  but 
when  I  assented  to  its  impracticabiliiy,  it  was  a  com- 
pliment ;  for  I  do  not  believe  it  is  so,  nor  hardly 
anything  else.       * 

"  It  is  certainly  bad  in  theory  to  suppose  the  sea- 
sons can  triumph  over  the  efforts  of  an  honest  man. 
The  proffered  hospitality  of  the  commandant  I  have 
no  doubt  was  sincere,  because  in  Russia  generally, 
and  particularly  in  Siberia,  it  is  the  fashion  to  be 


/ 


«',%.-- 


9 


»    \ 


220 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


hospitable.  It  is  probable,  also,  that  it  is  a  natural 
principle.  I  should,  however,  have  said  less  to  them 
about  the  matter,  had  I  not  been  without  clothes, 
and  with  only  a  guinea  and  one  fourth  in  my  purse  ; 
and  in  a  place  where  the  necessaries  of  life  are 
dearer  than  in  Europe,  and  clothing  still  dearer  by 
the  same  comparison.  And,  besides,  the  people  of 
all  descriptions  here,  as  far  as  they  are  able,  live  in 
all  the  excess  of  Asiatic  luxury,  joined  witB  such 
European  excesses,  as  have  migrated  hither.  Add 
to  all  these,  that  they  are  universally  and  extremely 
ignorant,  and  adverse  to  every  species  of  intellectu- 
al enjoyment,  and  I  will  declare  to  you,  that  I  was 
never  before  so  totally  at  a  loss  how  to  accommodate 
myself  to  my  situation.  The  only  consolation  I 
have,  of  the  argumentative  kind,  is  to  reflect,  that 
he  who  travels  for  information  must  be  supposed  to 
want  it.  By  being  here  eight  months,  I  shall  be  able 
to  make  my  observations  much  more  extensive,  re- 
specting the  country  and  its  inhabitants,  than  if  1 
had  passed  directly  through  it ;  and  this  also  is  a 
satisfaction." 

It  being  thus  determined,  against  his  opinion  and 
'^wishes,  that  he  should  not  proceed,  he  resolved  to 
reconcile  himself  to  his  fate,  and  to  make  the  best 
use  of  his  time,  which  circumstances  would  allow. 
He  had  entered  the  following  memorandum  in  his 
journal,  while  coming  down  the  Lena.  "  Yakutsk 
is  the  last  place  where  I  shall  be  able  to  make  any 
inquiries,  therefore  let  them  be  extensive."  He  now 
set  himself  earnestly  to  the  task  of  complying  with 
this  injunction,  and  of  collecting  as  much  informa- 
tion as  possible.  The  facts  and  reflections,  which 
he  thought  worth  preserving,  are  recorded  in  his 
diary  without  method  or  connexion.     It  was  his 


.11 


"r'  '>*%#-. 


i*\i*,« 


—"■r^.  .^^.  ■ 


^f.....^^^.- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


22] 


.M 


ral 
sra 
es, 
56 ; 
are 
by 
3  of 
J  in 
uch 
\dd 
nely 

!CtU- 

wa3 
idate 
on  I 
,  that 
ed  to 
i  able 
B,  re- 
lif  1 
>  is  a 


and 
d  to   1. 

best  ' 

allow. 

n  his 

cutsk 

any 

e  now 

with 
brma- 
which 
in  his 
as  his 


\ 


manner,  as  we  have  already  seen,  to  write  down  only 
hints,  to  state  facts  briefly,  and  throw  out  his  own 
remarks  upon  them  in  language  concise  and  unstudi- 
ed. These  particulars,  as  heretofore,  must  be 
remembered  in  reading  the  free  extracts,  which  will 
be  made  from  the  part  of  his  journal  written  at 
Yakutsk. 

Th^re  is  some  room  for  doubt,  whether  the  com- 
mandant was  perfectly  honest,  in  advising  and  per- 
suading Ledyard  to  desist  from  his  purpose  of  pro- 
ceeding immediately  to  Okotsk.  In  the  first  place, 
it  was  certainly  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  perform 
that  journey  in  the  winter,  and  the  commandant's 
tender  concern  for  the  sufferings  of  the  travellel", 
who  knew  what  was  before  him,  and  was  eager  to 
grapple  with  every  hardship  in  the  way,  could 
scarcely  be  such  as  to  induce  him,  from  this  motive 
alone,  to  urge  his  delay  for  eight  months  in  Yakutsk. 
His  bringing  in  the  trader  to  strengthen  his  argu- 
ment, on  the  same  benevolent  grounds,  is  moreover 
a  suspicious  circumstance.  Ledyard  yielded  to  their 
persuasions,  against  his  will  and  his  judgment,  and 
was  only  surprised  that  he  should  meet  two  men  in 
Siberia,  entire  strangers  to  him,  who  should  have  his 
happiness  so  much  at  heart. "  *^ 

Again,  the  original  letter  of  recommendation  from 
Jacobi,  the  governor  general  of  Irkutsk,  to  the  com- 
inandant  of  Yakutsk,  has  been  preserved  amongst 
LedyardV.  papers.  It  is  written  in  the  Russian  lan- 
guage and  character.*  After  recommending  the 
bearer  in  general  terms,  and  stating  that  he  wished  to 


A  translation  of  this  letter  was  procured  from  the  Rubsian  Lega- 
tion, through  the  politeness  of  Mr  Poletica,  while  he  vrrs  miaiiter 
from  tae  court  of  Petersburg  to  the  United  States.    !^,f^(W^r!& 

19*  ■ 

.'■*■'■" 


:.A 


f^' 


M 


■0. 


F*«.^•- 


-•r 


sii- 


l 


<•%: 


9^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


pass  through  to  the  American  continent,  with  a  view 
of  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  that  country,  Jacobi 
adds ;  "  His  object  seems  to  be,  that  of  joining  a 
certain  secret  naval  expedition  ;  I  earnestly  request 
you,  therefore,  to  receive  Mr  Ledyard  most  kindly, 
and  to  assist  him  every  posible  way  in  all  his  wishes, 
tmd  to  forward  him  without  the  least  delay  to  the 
abovementioned  expedition."  The  passage  in  this 
"fj,  letter  demanding  particular  attention,  is  that  in  which 
the  governor  general  enjoins  it  on  the  command- 
ant, with  marked  emphasis,  to  treat  him  kindly,  and 
;;,-^d  him  forward  according  to  his  wishes  without 
ijlj^y.  Now  if  he  had  given  this  order  seriously,  it 
Would  not  have  been  done,  unless  it  was  intended  to 
be  obeyed,  and  JaQobi  knew  very  well  whether  the 
journey  was  practicable  at  the  season,  when  the  let- 
ter would  arrive ;  and  if  it  was  in  fact  a  serious  and 
positive  order,  it  is  not  likely  that  the  commandant 
would  have  hesitated  to  carry  it  instantly  into  effect. 
My  mference  is,  that  there  were  secret  instructions 
sent  at  the  same  time  to  detain  Ledyard  in  Yakutsk, 
aad  that  the  commandant  for  thi^  purpose  resorted 
to  the  artifice  of  a  pretended  concern  for  his  health 
and  comfort,  that  all  suspicion?  of  any  designed  in- 
terference might  be  lulled  to  sleep.  It  is  remarka- 
ble, too,  that  the  letter  of  recommendation  was  sent 
open,  and  was  returned  to  Ledyard  after  having 
been  read  by  the  commandant.  This  manoeuvre 
was  artfully  contrived  to  quiet  his  apprehensions,  and 
cause  him  to  believe,  that  the  governor  general  had 
taken  a  lively  interest  in  his  success,  and  was  dis- 
posed to  render  him  efficient  aid.  To  this  subject  I 
shall  have  occasion  to  recur. 

Meantime  let  us  return  to  the  occupations  of  the 
traveller,  while  he  was  thus  unconsciously  a  prisoner 


*^,- 


1 1 


m 


# 


^'t 


_^. 


>*'  «i 


-^w    :■"■  J'^^- 


L!FE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


333 


lew     1 1 
:obi 
iga 
jest 

diy,     , 

hes, 

the 
this 
hich 
and- 

and 
liout 

ly,  it 

edto 
r  the 
3  let- 
s  and 
ndant 
sfFect. 
ctions 
cutsk, 
sorted   . 
lealth 
ed  in- 
larka-  ' 
s  sent 
laving 
Kuvre 
s,  and 
ad  had 
)3  dis- 
iject  I 

lof  the 
fisoner 


■'t 


\. 


^■ 


:    "^: 


'm 


at  Yakutsk.  He  pursued  with  diligence  his  inqui- 
ries, and  lost  no  opportunity  of  seeking  knowledge 
wherever  he  could  fin^  it,  particularly  on  those  top- 
ics, which  he  was  lOnd  of  contemplating.  In  the 
letter  to  Colonel  Smith,  mentioned  above,  are  con- 
taiiled  some  observations,  besides  those  already 
quoted,  which  are  in  harmony  with  the  writer's 
usual  turn  of  mind,  and  mode  of  expressing  his 
thoughts. 

"  I  cannot  say,  that  my  voyage  on  the  Lena  has 
furnished  me  with  anything  new,  and  yet  no  travel- 
ler ever  passed  by  scenes,  that  more  constantly  en 
gaged  the  heart  and  the  imagination.  I  suppose 
two  philosophers  .would  think  alike  about  them, 
painter  and  a  poet  would  be  much  more  likely  to 
agree.  There  are  some  things,  however,  not  un- 
worthy of  a  philosophical  inquiry.  The  Lena  ir 
very  indifferent  for  navigation,  from  this  place  to- 
wards Irkutsk.  In  some  mountains  near  the  river 
are  large  salt  mines,  which  afford  a  supply  to  all  the 
adjacent  country.  It  is  pure,  solid,  transparent, 
mineral  salt,  and  found  in  veins.  The  pieces  thai  I 
have  seen,  with  the  commandant  here,  are  six  and 
nine  inches  square.  When  ptdvexized  for  the  table, 
it  is  much  the  most  delicate  salt  I  ever  saw,  of  a 
perfect  white,  and  an  agreeable  taste,  but  I  imagine 
not  so  strong  by  .one  third,  as  our  West  India  salt. 
There  are  also  upon  the  banks  of  the  Lena,  and  in- 
deed all  over  this  country,  great  quantities  of  ele- 
phants' bones.  The  commandant  possesses  some 
of  the  teeth  of  that  animal,  larger  than  any  I  saw  in 
the  royal  museum  at  Petersburg,  and  they  are  as 
sound  as  they  ever  were.  The  hafts  of  knives, 
spoons,  and  a  variety  of  other  things  are  here  made 
of  them,  and  they  equal  any  ivory  I  have  seen  from 

'-^ '^^"'        '■■',-,        .      ■      •  ■        " 


*'« 


;•'«»>< 


.^i^. 


# 


— ,WP'I'»« 


mmuns, 


334 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


BJ--    Mi. 


Africa.  If  I  can,  I  will  send  you  a  specimen  of  thii 
fine  bone,  and  of  the  salt  likewise.  Indeed,  I  want 
to  send  you  many  things,  but  it  is  an  embarrassing 
circumstance,  when  one  has  correspondents  in  the 
antipodes.  And  though  no  man  could  show  more 
kindness,  or  render  more  service  to  a  traveller,  than 
Dr  Pallas  has  done  to  me,  yet  I  am  reserved  in  ask- 
ing them  upon  all  occasions.  Brown  ano  Porter, 
too  ; — I  wonder  their  patience  is  not  exhausted.  It 
has  been  as  thoroughly  tried,  as  yours  was  while  I 
was  at  Petersburg. 

"  The  fact  is,  I  am  a  bankrupt  to  the  world,  but  I 
h<q)e  it  will  consider  well  the*occasion  of  my  being 
such.  I  believe  it  will.  My  English  creditors  are 
the  most  numerous,  and  I  have  great  consolation  on 
that  account,  because  they  think  and  act  with  such 
heavenly  propriety.  In  most  parts  of  the  world,  and 
as  much  in  Russia  as  anywhere,  and  in  Siberia  most 
of  all,  it  is  the  custom  not  to  think  at  all.  In  this 
case  it  is  difficult  to  liquidate,  rationally,  a  receipt 
and  expenditure  of  three  dinners  and  a  bow.  For 
the  same  reason,  when  I  left  France  my  accounts 
were  not  closed,  and  from  that  day  to  this  I  know 
not  whether  I  owe  France,  or  France  owes  me. 
But  here  at  Yakutsk  it  will  be  infinitely  worse,  and 
without  any  violence  to  the  metaphor,  or  pedantic 
affectation,  I  declare  to  you,  that  to  leave  Yakutsk 
with  respectability  and  reach  Okotsk  alive,  will  be 
to  pass  a  Scylla  and  Chatybdis,  which  I  have  never 
yet  encountered.  Both  you,  myself,  and  my  friends, 
had  formed  at  London  very  erroneous  opinions  of 
the  equipment  necessary  to  pass  through  this  country, 
and  particularly  as  to  the  manner  of  travelling.  It 
has  been  tlie,  source  of  all  my  troubles.  They  have 
been  many,  and  I  have  done  wrong  to  feel  them  so 


1,  .*ia 


WW- 


|iJ*J♦:-^riplife■ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


325 


I  « 


*• 


severely.  I  owe  the  world  some  services,  which  I 
shall  make  great  efforts  to  perform.  Make  my  best 
compliments  to  my  friends,  and  tell  them  that  I  have 
a  heart  as  big  as  St  Taul's  Church  in  such  service 
as  tlieirs." 

The  mistake  here  alluded  to,  in  regard  to  the 
mode  of  travelling,  was  the  plan  formed  by  himself 
and  his  friends  in  London,  that  he  should  walk,  as 
being  more  economical.  By  experiment  he  proved 
this  to  have  been  an  ill  advised  scheme  ;  for  walking 
not  only  consumed  a  great  deal  more  time,  but  the 
expenses  in  the  aggregate  were  higher,  than  by  the 
usual  mode  of  travelling  post  through  those  coun- 
tries. In  a  letter  from  Irkutsk  he  says,  "  It  has  been 
to  this  moment  a  source  of  misfortune  to  me,  that  I 
did  not  begin  to  ride  post  from  Hamburg.  I  have 
footed  it  at  a  great  expense,  besides  the  loss  of  my 
baggage,  which  I  severely  feel.  Never  did  I  adopt 
an  idea  so  fatal  to  my  happin|S8."  The  reason  why 
he  viewed  this  oversight  in  so  serious  a  light  was, 
th'ut  it  would  inevitably  be  the  cause  of  keeping  him 
back,  a  full  season,  from  his  passage  across  the  sea 
to  the  American  continent,  and  thus  in  the  end  a 
whole  year  would  be  lost.  Add  to  this  the  innu- 
merable accidents,  that  might  intervene  to  defeat  his 
purpose  altogether.  Whereas,  had  he  proceeded  by 
the  shortest  conveyance  from  Hamburg  to  the  Rus- 
sian capital,  he  might  with  great  ease  have  reached 
Kamtschatka  the  same  season.  The  origin  of  his 
disasters  may  chiefly  be  referred,  however,  to  his 
fit  of  romantic  benevolence  in  seeking  out  Major 
Langborn ;  wasting  his  precious  time  in  Copenha- 
gen, and  sharing  with  his  erratic  countryman  his 
scanty  means,  which,  in  their  whole  amount,  were 
scarcely  enough  to  keep  himself  alone  from  beggary. 


..■  ->f 


iifflsi^- 


'■} 


-ffr 


aCi.v.-r'-, 


^#-«"- 


226 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


■J 


f)-  < 


h 


r? 


%■ 


I  shall  now  bring  together,  in  as  connected  a  form 
as  the  nature  of  the  particulars  will  admit,  Ledyard't 
observations  on  various  tribes  of  Tartars,  with  whom 
he  became  more  or  less  acquainted  in  Siberia.  His 
researches  were  desultory,  but  pursued  with  inquisi- 
tiveness ;  his  statements  are  often  curious,  some- 
times important ;  they  will  afford  amusement  to  the 
general  reader,  as  well  as  information  to  the  philo- 
sophical inquirer.  >» 

;  **  Of  all  the  gradations  of  men,  the  savage  is  the 
most  formal  and  ceremonious,  notwithstanding  his 
wants  and  occupations  are  few,  and  he  can  with 
happy  indifference  endure  privation.  His  heaven  is 
peace  and  leisure.  Ceremonials,  like  the  uninter- 
rupted tenor  of  his  mind,  may  be  supposed  to  be 
transmitted  unchanged  through  many  generations. 
Hence  many  things,  which  marked  the  earliest  peri- 
od of  history,  and  which  have  left  no  vestige  with 
civilized  man,  show  themselves  at  this  day  among 
savages.  Their  luxurfes,  if  such  they  may  be  call- 
ed, are  of  that  kind  which  nature  suggests.  Dress, 
which  in  hot  climates  is  an  inconvenience,  does  not 
become  so  much  the  object  of  attention  and  delight ; 
and  here,  therefore,  the  savage  is  more  nice  in  the 
indulgence  of  his  appetites.  On  the  contrary,  in 
cold  climates,  bodily  covering  being  all  important, 
ingenuity  is  directed  to  that  point.  A  feeble  kind 
of  infant  fancy  grows  out  of  the  efforts  of  necessity, 
and  displays  its  little  arts  in  adorning  the  person 
with  awkward  and  fantastic  decorations.  But  here 
the  appetites  are  less  lively  and  distinguishing.  With 
respect  to  food,  the  vilest,  and  that  totally  unprepar- 
ed, does  not  come  amiss,  and  the  most  delicate  is 
not  seized  ii^ith  eagerness.  Give  a  cake  to  a  Swe- 
dish Laplander,  Finlander,  or  northern  Tartar,  and 


!l 


m 


# 


<r^m- 


.  <-:;.t*i^<. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


227 


he  eats  it  leisurely ;  do  the  same  to  an  Otaheitan, 
Italian  peasant,  or  Spanish  fisherman,  and  he  will 
put  the  whole  cake  into  his  mouth  if  ho  can.  The 
Empress  has  caused  houses  to  be  built  in  the  Rus- 
sian manner,  at  the  expense  of  government,  and 
ordered  them  to  be  offered  to  the  Yakuti,  upon  the 
single  condition  of  their  dwelling  in  them ;  but  they 
have  universally  refused,  preferring  their  apparently 
more  uncomfortable  Yourtes  or  Wigwams. 

"  The  Tongusians  are  a  wandering  people,  living 
solely  by  the  chase.  They  rarely  stop  above  two  or 
three  days  in  a  place.  They  have  tents  or  yourtes, 
made  of  bark,  which  they  leave  on  the  spot  where 
they  have  encamped.  When  they  march  they  tell 
their  women  that  they  are  going  to  such  a  mountain, 
river,  lake,  or  forest,  and  leave  them  to  bring  the 
baggage.  They  are  extremely  active  in  the  chase, 
and  instances  have  occurred  in  which  they  were 
found  dead,  having  pursued  th^  game  down  some 
precipice.  "^ 

"  The  Kalmuks,  or  Buretti,  write  their  language 
in  columns,  like  the  Chinese ;  the  Kazan  Tartars 
from  right  to  left,  like  the  Hebrews.*  The  reason 
why  the  Buretti  liave  the  art  of  writing  is,  that  they*- 
last  migrated  from  thr  borders  of  Thibet.  There 
is  not  another  7\  ,atic  tribe  in  all  Siberia,  that  write 


<      I 


,\ 


\ 


*  Dr  Clarke  nentiiODs  having  procured  at  Taganrog,  on  the  sea 
of  Azof,  a  8p«cira«4n  of  writing  from  the  Kalmuk  priesta.  The 
characters  wvn>  iiranged  in  columns  on  scarlet  liuen,  and  read  from 
the  top  to  the  bottom.  After  returning  to  England  he  was  inform- 
ed, that  this  writing  was  Sanscrit.  He  adds,  that  the  Kalmuks  in 
that  part  of  Asia  had  two  modes  of  writing,  one  with  the  vulgar 
character,  so  called,  and  the  other  with  uie  saertd.  This  latter 
is  read  from  left  to  right,  like  the  European  languages  the  former 
In  columns,  and  would  seem  to  be  Sauscni.  CUi  «<,  $  Travih, 
Vol.  I.  c.  16. 


^  ■  f 


* 


"j»' 


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M 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD, 


:& 


their  language,  or  have  any  remains  of  writing^ 
among  them.*  The  sound  of  the  Yakuti  language 
very  closely  resembles  that  of  the  Chinese  ;  and  the 
same,  indeed,  may  be  said  of  the  languages  of  all 
the  Asiatic  Tartars.  I  have  already  observed,  tiiat 
the  Yakuti  is  supposed  to  be  the  oldest  language,  and 
that  other  tribes  have  some  knowledge  of  it. 

"  The  Kalmuks  live  mostly  by  their  flocks,  which 
consist  of  horses,  sheep,  goats,  and  cows.  In  sum- 
mer they  dwell  in  the  plains,  in  winter  retreat  to  the 
":  mountains,  where  their  flocks  feed  on  buds,  twigs 
of  trees,  and  moss.  They  have  much  milk,  which 
serves  them  for  food,  and  of  which  they  also  make 
a  kind  of  brandy.f  They  likewise  hunt.  When 
any  of  their  flock  are  sick,  or  lame,  they  kill  and  eat 

,  them.  'i'^'^'^  -rir-r:-.:  4 

"I  observe  there  is  one  continual  flow  of  good 
nature  and  cheerfulness  among  the  Tartars.  They 
never  abuse  each  either  by  words,  but,  when  pro- 
voked, look  for  revenge,  either  secret  or  open. 
The  Tongusians  fight  duels  with  their  bows,  and 
with  knives.  They,  and  the  other  roving  Tartars, 
have  the  limits  of  their  hunting  grounds  ascertained  ' 
*  and  marked,  like  the  Aborigines  of  North  America. 


/*■; 


i#. 


•"f:. 


•It  must  be  observed,  that  Ledyard  everywhere  speaks  of  the 
Buretti  as  the  same  people  with  the  Kalmuks,  and  both  as  direct 
descendants  of  the  Mongul  Tartars.  What  he  says  of  either,  there- 
fore, mayusommonly  be  applied  to  the  other. 

f  The  manner  of  extracting  th^s  spirituous  liquor  from  milk  is 
largely  described  by  Pallas.  The  milk  is  first  fermented,  in  which 
itate  it  contains  a  vinous  acid.     It  is  then  subjected  to  the  usual 

E recess  of  distillation,  and  the  result  is  a  species  of  liquor,  which 
as  intoxicating  qualities,  and  of  which  the  Kalmuks  are  very  fond. 
Mare's  milk  is  considered  the  best  for  this  purpose,  and  cow's  milk 
<he  next.  The  milk  of  sheep  is  seldom  distilled,  as  it  contains  but 
ft  small  quantity  of  the  spirituous  principle.  Voyages  du  Pro- 
feiteur  Pallas,  Tom.  II.  pp.  168 — 175. 


\- 


i 


•'4. 


)'!K       W-l 


*  ' 


•t^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


229 


"  The  Yakuti  here  take  their  children  out  in  the 
evening,  and  teach  them  the  names  of  the  principal 
stars,  how  to  direct  their  march  by  them,  and  how 
to  judge  of  the  weather.  Astronomy  must  have 
been  an  early  science.  The  Russ  and  Yakuti  ap- 
pear to  live  together  here  in  harmony  and  peace, 
whhout  any  distinction  as  to  national  difference,  or 
superiority  and  inferiority.  I  know  of  but  one  cir- 
cumstance, (but,  alas !  it  is  an  important  one,)  in 
which  the  Yakuti  are  not  on  an  equal  footing  with 
the  Russ.  They  hold  no  offices,  civil  or  military. 
The  Russians  have  been  here  two  hundred  and  fifty 
years,  and  the  Yakuti  Tartars  have  been  under  the 
Russian  government  ever  since,  yet  have  they  made 
no  alteration  in  their  dress  or  manners  in  general ; 
but  the  Russians  have  conformed  to  the  dress  of  the 
Yakuti.  Very  few  of  them  have  embraced  the 
Christian  religion,  and  those,  who  have,  perform  its 
duties  with  great  indifference.  In  this  respect,  also,' 
the  Tartar,  whether  in  Asia  or  America,  acts  up  to 
that  sui  generis  character,  which  distinguishes  him 
from  other  branches  of  the  human  family.  Religion 
of  any  kind,  professed  by  any  other  people,  is  usu- 
ally a  serious,  contemplative,  and  important  concern, 
and  forms  at  least  as  remarkable  a  trait  in  their 
character,  as  any  circumstance  of  fashion  or  habit ; 
but  it  forms  no  part  of  the  character  of  a  Tartar. 
I  have  not  in  my  mind  the  Christian  system  particu- 
larly ;  its  doctrines  are  indeed  mysterious  to  the 
greatest  minds  and  best  heart«?.  To  a  Tartar  they 
must  surely  be  so.  The  surprise  is  therefore  the 
less,  why  they  should  so  feebly  affect  the  Tartar 
character.  But  the  Mahometan  system,  which 
courts  the  senses,  and  appeals  to  the  passions,  has 
operated  no  farther  on  the  Tartar,  than  to  shave  his 
20 


*, 


a. 


?  *j 


/ 


V 


nh 


1 


\    V^ 


■v*  ■•■- 


330 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


head.     There  it  stops;  it  does  not  enter  it,  nor  fiis  ' 
heart. 

"  The  Tartar  is  a  man  of  nature,  not  of  art.  His 
philosophy  is  therefore  very  simple,  but  sometimes 
subHme.  Let  us  enumerate  some  of  his  virtues. 
He  is  a  lover  of  peace.  No  lawyer  here,  perplex- 
ing natural  rights  of  property.  «^  No  wanton  Helen, 
displaying  fatal  charms.  NcFi)riest  with  his  out- 
rageous zeal  has  ever  disturbed  the  peace.  Never, 
I  believe,  did  a  Tartar  speak  ill  of  the  Deity,  or  envy 
his  fellow  creatures.  He  is  contented  to  be  what  he 
is.  Hospitable  and  humane,  he  is  uniformly  tranquil 
and  cheerful,  laconic  in  thought,  word,  and  action. 
This  is  one  great  reason,  and  1  think  the  greatest, 
why  they  have  been  constantly  persecuted  by  na- 
tions of  a  different  disposition,  and  why  they  have 
always  fled  before  them,  and  been  content  to  live 
anywhere,  if  they  could  only  live  in  peace.  Some 
have  attributed  this  conduct  to  a  love  of  liberty. 
True  ;  but  their  ideas,  both  of  peace  and  liberty, 
are  different  from  ours.  The  Tartar  holds  in  equal 
estimation  his  dear  otium,  and  his  libertas.  They 
talk  much  of  liberty  in  England,  for  example  ;  but  I 
think  it  would  be  less  agreeable  for  a  Tartar  to  live 
there,  than  in  Russian  Siberia,  where  there  is  less 
liberty.  The  Tartars,  indeed,  think  differently  from 
most  people  of  Europe,  and,  I  believe,  of  Africa. 
If  the  Virginia  planters  were  to  give  their  Negroes 
piore  commodious  houses  to  inhabit,  instead  of  their 
poor  huts,  and  encourage  them  otherwise  to  live  in 
them,  I  believe  the  African  would  be  of  the  same 
mind  as  the  planter,  and  gladly  accept  the  proposal. 
The  same  thing  exactly  has  been  offered  here  to  the 
Yakuti  by  the  crown  ;  they  have  much  stronger  in- 
ducements to  accept  the  offer  than  the  African ; 


f k  ■'-' 


?  .V 


)      ^ 


■>*f' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


231 


f  ........ 

**^but  they  have  not,  and  they  will  not,  though  no  con- 
dition accompanies  the  offer.  They  will  inhabit  the 
yourte. 

'*  The  yourte,  or,  as  the  American  Tartars  call  it 
pretty  generally,  vngwam,  is  in  this  country  a  substi- 
tute for  a  tent.  In  milder  climates  it  is  made  either 
of  skins  or  the  bark  of  trees,  of  sedge  or  some  other 
kind  of  grass.  It  is^always  of  a  conical  form,  not 
divided  into  apartments,  having  an  aperture  at  the 
top,  and  the  fire  made  on  the  ground  under  it. 
Around  the  sides  of  the  yourte,  if  it  is  only  tempora- 
ry, are  placed  the  baggage  and  the  furniture  ;  if  it  is 
not  temporary,  seats  for  sitting  and  sleeping  upon  are 
ranged  around  the  sides.  The  yourtes  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Russian  towns  and  settlements  are  made 
a  little  differently ;  they  are  sunk  two  or  three  feet 
in  the  ground,  square,  and  divided  into  apartments, 
the  frame  of  wood,  the  sides  plastered  with  mud, 

d  a  flat  roof  covered  with  earth.  The  fire  is  in. 
he  centre,  with  a  slight  little  chimney.  They  have 
two  or  three  little  windows  ;  in  summer,  of  talc ;  in 
winter,  of  ice.  One  apartment  of  the  yourte  is  for 
the  cow,  ox,  or  horse,  if  the  owner  should  possess 
any.  These  yourtes  resemble  not  a  tent ;  but  re- 
mote from  towns  all  the  Tartars  have  tents  either  of 
skins,  bark,  or  grass. 

"  The  people  in  this  country,  that  are  born  half 
Russ  and  half  Tartar,  are  very  different  from  the 
Tartars  or  Russ,  and  much  superior  to  either  of 
them.  The  European  nations,  that  intermarry  most 
with  other  nations,  are  the  handsomest.  How  far 
may  this  cause  be  supposed  to  have  made  the  Negro, 
and  the  Tartar,  so  different  from  the  European  ;  or, 
which  is  more  probable,  have  made  the  European 
so  different  from  the  Tartar  and  the  Negro  ?    The 


..» 


/ 


'%. 


M 


•'<     , .    /' 


r'-N  >.,......  .J 


mimmmmmm 


*»^<m»i»\mp»'*  m^mti  tfu 


232 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


»! 

W 


commandant  showed  me  recently  a  man  descended 
from  a  Yakuti  father  and  Russian  mother,  and  the 
son  of  this  man.  The  color  of  the  first  descendant 
is  as  fair  as  the  second,  and  both  as  fair  as  the  Rus- 
sian mother  and  grandmother.  After  the  first  de- 
scent, intermarriage  has  a  less  perceptible  effect  on 
the  color.  This  change  of  the  color  by  intermar- 
riage is  generally  from  the  |j|arker  to  the  fighter.  • 
The  color  of  the  hair  aud  eyes  also  inclines  to  be 
light,  but  does  not  always  accompany  the  change  of 
color  in  the  skin.  Upon  the  whole,  as  I  have  said 
before,  with  respect  to  difference  of  color  with  the 
Indian  and  European,  they  appear  to  me  to  be  the 
effect  of  natural  causes.  I  have  given  much  atten- 
tion to  the  subject  on  this  continent.  Its  vast  extent, 
and  the  variety  of  its  inhabitants,  afford  the  best  field 
in  the  world  in  which  to  examine  it.  By  the  same 
gentle  gradation,  by  which  I  passed  from  the  height  of 
civilization  at  Petersburg  to  incivilization  in  Siberi'a, 
I  also  passed  from  the  fair  European  to  the  copper- 
colored  Tartar ;  I  say  the  copper-colored  Tartar, 
but  there  is  the  same  variety  of  color  among  the 
Tartars  in  Siberia,  as  among  the  other  nations  of  the 
earth.  The  journal  of  a  Russian  officer,  which  I 
have  seen,  informs  me  that  the  Samoiedes,  among 
whom  he  lived  two  years,  are  fairer  than  the  Yakuti, 
who  are  of  a  light  olive,  and  fairer  than  the  Tongu- 
sians,  or  the  Buretti,  who  are  copper-colored.  Yet 
the  three  last  mentioned  tribes  are  all  Mongul  Tar- 
tars. The  greater  part  of  mankind,  compared  with 
European  civilization,  are  uncivilized,  and  this  part 
are  all  darker  than  the  other.  There  are  no  white 
savages,  and  few  barbarous  people,  that  are  not  brown 
or  black*   a^i  i^hnfTf  y^^mH  -M^^i^^A 


'.■-»^V-!l' 


^■'4  4i?if  ^'f'  '1- 


^f?^^-i^?i 


•.<*;.:'fm«:a#i<? 


M(i 


fck 


"n.  '. 


"''  ^ .  ^.- 


.,    )'■•• 


',  /•<  '» 


■'"•■X 


";.-•»».. -s    •■'  .  «.  .  «l 


LIFE  OP  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


233 


ct 


The  equally  distinguishing  characteristic  oi  fea- 
(ure,  in  the  Tartar  face,  invites  me  into  a  field  of 
observation,  which  I  am  not  able  at  present  to  give 
bounds  to.  I  must  therefore  resign  it  to  those,  who 
have  leisure  and  a  taste  for  such  inquiries,  content- 
ing myself  with  furnishing  a  few  facts,  and  describing 
this  strange  dissimilarity  in  the  human  face,  accord- 
ing to  the  observational  have  made.  This  I  should 
be  able  to  do  anatomically,  but  I  am  not.  The  Tar- 
tar face,  in  the  first  impression  it  gives,  approaches 
nearer  to  the  African  than  the  European ;  and  this 
impression  is  strengthened,  on  a  more  deliberate 
examination  of  the  individual  features,  and  whole 
compages  of  the  countenance  ;  yet  it  is  very  differ- 
ent from  an  African  face.  The  nose  forms  a  strong 
feature  in  the  human  face.  I  have  seen  instances 
among  the  Kalmuks,  where  the  nose  between  the 
eyes  has  been  much  flatter  and  broader,  than  I  have 
ever  witnessed  in  Negroes ;  and  some  few  instances 
where  it  has  been  as  broad  over  the  nostrils  quite  to 
the  end ;  but  the  nostrils  in  any  case  are  much 
smaller  than  in  Negroes.  Where  I  have  seen  those 
noses,  they  were  accompanied  with  a  large  mouth 
and  thick  lips ;  and  these  people  were  genuine  Kal- 
muk  Tartars.  The  nose  protuberates  but  little  from 
the  face,  and  is  shorter  than  that  of  the  European. 
The  eyes  universally  are  at  a  great  distance  from 
each  other,  and  very  small ;  at  each  corner  of  the 
eye  the  skin  projects  over  the  ball ;  the  part  appears 
swelled  J  the  eyelids  go  in  nearly  a  strait  line  from 
corner  to  corner.  When  open,  the  eye  appears  as 
in  a  square  frame.  The  mouth  generally,  however, 
is  of  a  middling  size,  and  the  lips  thin.  The  next 
remarkable  features  are  the  cheek  bones.  These, 
like  the  eyes,  are  very  remote  from  each  othev,  high, 
20* 


^^ 


i 


» 


nw«mwaM»w««»>«rMW 


,*   y  I 


234 


LIFE  OP  JOHN  LEDYARp. 


^ 


:h    'i 


(*,  ■.. 


broad,  and  withal  project  a  little  forward.  The  face 
is  flat.  When  1  look  at  a  Tartar  en  profile,  I  can 
hardly  see  the  nose  between  the  eyes,  and  if  he  blow 
a  coal  of  fire,  I  cannot  see  the  nose  at  all»  The 
face  is  then  like  an  inflated  bladder.  The  forehead 
is  narrow  and  low.  The  face  has  a  fresh  color,  and 
on  the  cheek  bones  there  is  commonly  a  good  ruddy 
hue.  #i 

'  The  faces  of  Tartars  have  not  a  variety  of  ex- 
jj.ression.  I  think  the  predominating  one  is  pride  ; 
but  whenever  I  have  viewed  them,  they  have  seen  a 
stranger-  The  intermixture  by  marriage  does  not 
operate  so  powerfully  in  producing  a  change  of  fea- 
tures, as  of  complexion,  in  favor  of  Europeans.  I 
have  seen  the  third  in  descent,  and  the  Tartar  pre- 
vailed over  the  European  features.  The  Tartars 
from  time  immemorial  (I  mean  the  Asiatic  Tartars) 
have  been  a  people  of  a  wandering  disposition.  Their 
converse  has  been  more  among  beasts  of  the  forest^ 
than  among  men  ;  and  wh^p  among  men,  it  has  only 
been  those  of  their  own  nation.  They  have  ever 
been  savages,  averse  to  civilization,  and  have  never 
until  very  lately  mingled  with  other  nations^and  now 
rarely.  Whatever  cause  may  have  originated  their 
peculiarities  of  features,  the  reason  why  they  still 
continue  is  their  secluded  way  of  life,  which  has  pre- 
served them  from  mixing  with  other  people.  I  am 
ignorant,  how  far  a  constant  society  with  beasts  may 
operate  in  changing  the  features,  but  1  am  persuaded 
that  this  circumstance,  together  with  an  uncultivated 
state  of  mind,  if  we  consider  a  long  and  uninterrupted 
succession  of  ages,  must  account  in  some  degree  for 
this,  remarkable  singularity.. 

"  Mr  John  Hunter  of  Londcm  has  made,  or  i& 
making,  some  anatomical  examinations  of  the  head 


■/:? 


i  I 


■^w\ 


* 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


235 


of  a  Negro,  which  is  said  externally  at  least  to  re- 
semble that  of  a  monkey.  If  I  could  do  it,  I  would 
send  him  the  head  of  a  Tartar,  who  lives  by  the 
chase,  and  is  constantly  in  the  society  of  animals 
which  have  high  cheek  bones ;  and  perhaps,  on  ex- 
amining such  a  head,  he  would  find  an  anatomical 
resemblance  to  the  fox,  the  wolf,  the  bear,  or  the. 
dog.  I  have  thought,  that  even  in  Europe  mechan- 
ical employments,  having  been  continued  for  a  long 
time  among  the  same  people,  have  had  a  considera- 
ble influence  in  giving  a  uniforna  character  to  their 
features.  I  know  of  no  people,  among  whom  there 
is  such  a  uniformity  of  features,  (except  the  Chinese, 
the  Jews,  and  the  Negroes,)  as  among  the  Asiatic 
Tartars.  They  are  distinguished,  indeed,  by  differ- 
ent tribes,  but  this  is  only  nominal.  Nature  has  not 
acknowledged  the  distinction,  but  on  the  contrary, 
marked  them,  wherfever  found,  with  the  indisputable 
stamp  of  Tartars.  Whether  in  Nova  Zembla, 
Mongolia,  GreeniarH,  or  on  the  banks  of  the  Missis- 
sippi, they  are  th  saiie  people,  forming  the  most 
numerous,  and,  if  we  must  except  the  Chinese,  the 
most  ancient  nation  of  the  globe.  But  I,  for  my- 
self, do  not  except  the  Chinese,  because  I  have  no 
doubt  of  their  being  of  the  same  family. 

"  The  Tongusians,  the  Tchuktchi,  the  Kuriles, 
and  the  Nova-Zembleans  are  tattooed.  The  Mohe- 
gan  tribe  of  Indians  in  America  practised  tattooing. 
I  find  as  yet  nothing  analogous  to  the  American  cal- 
umet, except  in  the  use  of  it.  The  Tartars  here, 
when  they  smoke  the  pipe,  give  it  round  to  every 
one  in  the  company.  The  form  of  the  pipe  is 
universally  the  identical  form  of  the  Chinese  pipe. 
I  expect  to  find  it  in  America,  since  the  form  of  the 
pipe  on  the  tomahock  resembles  it*     This  form 


% 


w- 


.,ik,'^r" 


^- 


% 


g^E>^'- 'r^ijji'l*^  '.-'C 


236 


.  // 


^IFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


'  •  -■^^r.lT;^;';;'^  the  original  e„s,„„  ,, 
«  very  li'He.  The  mL"  •  ""f^'  "  holds  bm 
«nd  Cliinese  use  i?  ^„  k'' '"  '"'''<=''  ">e  Tartar, 
-pake  but  one  or  ,;^  dr  ft,  7'"^-\"'«  '"^a.     They 

'  Aen  put  the  pipe  by  X  ""S*"  ""«  »»««.  and 
4"s  taken  is  exhilarating  IT  '^1'.  'h"  =™oT 
found       i  ^^2t  tJ.t'st  ?'""r  P'P« « 

•"•nk  «  probable  that  the  cn«!  r  "°"  ^"""s,  I 
fid  with  them  to  Ameri.!  J™  "^  smoking  mierat- 
'-  Raleigh  made^r  :;  T'  I'T,  '^  ^"  ^'  " 
*e  custom   has   traveljed    in        ^"S'''"''-     I*"  ™, 

Sf^'-'-co.ne.^:^4-,ststr^ 

hou  ^  ^^^    ocas^n       ,„  ,„«  field,  in  the' 

,    but  one  dress,  and  that  is  as  L    ^'"f^  "^"er  have  ' 
«•     Those  that  live  with  the  R      •  "">'  '=^"  ™ake 
'ages  are  above  mediocritv  „!  ,     -T'  '"  "heir  vil- 

the  same  indifference  about  a.l  '"^''  •""  *«eover 
for  the  concerns  nf  .„  accumulat  ng  more  »„j 

can  Indian  dor  ?^he;rXL'',\?^-S^^^       ' 
^ey  can  get  drunk,  s,^oke  their  "'^ '''''^''  ""^''^ 
The  gardens  of  the  Russians  »'f  PI'."'  S°  '<>  sleep, 
fc  but  theirs  he  undTs  urbed      Th'T''  """'  »' 
Russian  „  a  scene  of  busv  ot„    ^^  '"'"'«  "fAe 
furmture.  provisions,   wome„ ""?.?''»"'  ^"«<'  ^-ith 
noise;  tl,,uofthe  TartIrT  '      m*™'   *«.   and 
a»  a  mosque.    If  ,he  "^  ',  "  »/,  «'  ent  and  as'cJean 

^e  a"  abroad,  unless  perS  an  om'  "'"  ^^^■■<'«»'" 
There  is  very  little  furnitur?  '  .  1  """?'" '"'  '"^• 
bound  m  parcels  i„  a  Toraer  of  h'V™""''  "P  »d 
appearance  of  provisiom!™^  -f  .?  ^'>"'''  «»<i  "o 

"  It  happen,  that  they 


!i 


*     ' 


if. 


Wfsn^r. 


■■-'ms^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


237 


profess  the  Russian  religion,  they  treat  it  with  strange 
indifference,  not  thinkingly,  but  because  tliey  do  not 
think  at  all  about  it. 

"  I  have  not  as  yet  taken  any  vocabularies  of  the 
Tartar  languages.  If  I  take  any,  they  will  be  very 
shor^  ones.  Nothing  is  more  apt  to  deceive  than  vo- 
cabularies, when  taken  by  an  entire  stranger.  Merf 
of  scientific  curiosity  make  use  of  them  in  investigat- 
ing questions  of  philosophy,  as  well  as  history,  and 
I  think  often  with  too  much  confidence,  since  noth- 
ing is  more  difficult,  than  to  take  a  vocabulary,  that 
shall  answer  any  good  ends  for  such  a  purpose. 
The  different  sounds  of  the  same  letters,  and. of  the 
same  combinations  of  letters,  in  the  languages  of  Eu- 
rope, present  an  insurmountable  obstacle  to  making  a 
vocabulary,  which  shall  be  of  general  use.  The 
different  manner,  also,  in  which  persons  of  the  same 
language  would  write  the  words  of  a  new  language, 
would  be  such,  that  a  stranger  might  suppose  them 
to  be  two  languages.  Most  uncultivated  languages 
are  very  difficult  to  be  orthographized  in  another 
language.  They  are  generally  guttural ;  but  when 
not  so,  the  ear  of  a  foreigner  cannot  accommodate 
itself  to  the  inflection  of  tlie  speaker's  voice,  soon 
enough  to  catch  the  true  sound.  This  must  be  done 
instantaneously  ;  and  even  in  a  language  with  which 
we  are  acquainted,  we  are  not  able  to  do  it  for  sev- 
eral years.  I  seize,  for  instance,  the  accidental  mo- 
ment, when  a  savage  is  inclined  to  give  me  the 
names  of  things.  The  medium  of  this  conversation 
is  only  signs.  The  savage  may  wish  to  give  me  the 
word  for  head,  and  lays  his  hand  on  the  top  of  his 
head.  I  am  not  certain  whether  he  means  the  headf 
or  the  top  of  the  head,  or  perhaps  the  hair  of  the 
head.     He  may  wish  to  say  leg,  and  puts  his  hand 


«.^f?*P»  -%»%*.*'«*•«•'««(*,    ^4^^M«M^    .,^-^.»/tft 


vSSRi-^ 


\  \' 


i- 


238 


* 


LIFE  OP  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


to  the  calf.  I  cannot  tell  whether  he  means  the 
legi  or  the  calf,  or  flesh,  or  the  flesh.  There  are 
other  difficulties.  The  island  of  Onalaska  is  on  the 
coast  of  America  opposite  to  Asia.  There  are  a 
few  Russian  traders  on  it.  Being  there  with  Cap- 
tain Cook,  I  was  walking  one  day  on  the  shore  in 
company  with  a  native,  who  spoke  the  Russian  lan- 
guage. I  did  not  understand  it.  I  was  writing  the 
names  of  several  things,  and  pointed  to  the  ship, 
supposing  he  would  understand  that  I  wanted  the 
name  of  it.  He  answered  me  in  a  phrase,  which  in 
Russ  meant,  /  know.  I  wrote  down,  a  ship.  I  gave 
him  some  snuff,  which  lie  took,  and  held  out  his  hand 
for  more,  making  use  of  a  word,  which  signified  in 
Russ,  a  little.     I  wrote,  more. 

"  The  Asiatic  Tartars  have  different  methods  of 
hunting  the  moose,  and  such  kind  of  game,  but  the 
most  prevalent  is  like  that  of  American  Indians  by 
stratagem.  So  they  catch  ducks  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Kolyma ;  so  the  Otaheitans  catch  fish  some- 
times ;  and  so  the  uncivilized  parts  of  mankind  war 
against  each  other. 

"  I  understand  from  Captain  Billings's  Journal,  that 
the  universal  method  among  the  Tchuktchi  Indians, 
in  the  ceremony  of  marriage,  is  for  the  man  to  pur- 
chase the  woman,  or  make  presents  to  her  parents. 
It  is  also  customary  for  the  young  man  to  serve  a 
stipulated  time  with  the  parents  of  the  bride.  In 
case  of  disunion  afterwards,  which  happens  without 
passion,  the  presents  that  have  been  made  are  re- 
turned. If  either  party  dies,  the  other  marries  again 
as  soon  as  convenient ;  and  the  sooner  the  better,  they 
say,  because  they  ought  not  to  lament  what  can  be 
repaired.  I  suppose  the  love  in  this  case  below  that, 
which  existed  in  the  bosoms  of  Eloise  and  Abelard, 


f: 


# 


--"■6*^:, 


>'. 


.*  ,.,,«.,_, <,w..  A.  ».*H  *  »»*^,'4,><'^j,.>'> 


t 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


235 


and  I  suppose  the  philosophy  as  much  above  tlieirs, 
as  the  love  is  below.* 

"  All  the  Asiatic  Tartars,  like  the  Aborigines  of 
America,  entertain  the  same  general  notions  of  theo- 
logy, namely,  that  there  is  one  great  and  good  God, 
and  that  he  is  so  good  that  they  have  no  occasion  to 
address  him  for  the  bestowment  of  any  favors ;  and, 
being  good,  he  will  certainly  do  them  no  injuiy.  But 
they  suffer  many  calamities ;  so  they  say  there  is 
another  being,  the  source  of  evil ;  and  that  he  must 
be  very  powerful,  because  the  evils  inflicted  on  them 
are  numerous.  To  this  mischievous  deity,  there- 
fore, they  sacrifice.  From  him  they  expect  no  fa- 
vors, and  do  not  ask  any,  but  deprecate  his  wrath. 
Their  Shamants,  or  priests,  have  therefore  nothing  to 
do  with  the  good  God  ;  their  business  is  solely  with 
the  other,  whom  they  make  free  to  parcel  out  in  a 
great  variety  of  characters,  assigning  to  each  evil  a 
presiding  subordinate  spirit.  This  affords  thcJ  Sha- 
mant  an  opportunity  of  playing  his  tricks  in  an  ex- 
traordinary manner. 

"  Mr  Pennant  observes,  that  the  Scythians  scalped 


I  ' 


*  The  following;  description  from  Dr  Clarke's  Travels,  is  applied 
to  the  Kalmuks  where  he  travelled  on  the  borders  of  Persia,  in  the 
country  of  the  Cossacs.    "  The  ceremony  of  marriage,"  says  he,  , 
"  among  the  Kalmuks  is  performed  on  horseback.    A  girl  is  first 
mounted,  who  rides  off  in  full  speed.     Her  iovor  pursues ;  if  he 
overtakes  her,  she  becomes  his  wife,  and  the  marriage  is  consum- 
mated upon  the  spot.    After  this  she  returns  with  him  to  his  tent. 
But  it  sometimes  happens,  that  the  woman  docs  not  wish  to  mar- 
ry  the  person  by  whom  she  is  pursued  ;  in  this  case  she  will  not  . 
suffer  him  to  overtake  her.    We  were  assuied,  that  no  instance 
occurs  of  a  Kalmuk  girl  being  thus  caught,  unless  she  have  a  par- 
tiality for  her  pursuer.    If  she  dislikes  him,  she  rides,  to  use  the  : 
language  of  English  sportsmen,  neck  or  nothing,  until  she  has  ^ 
completely  effected  her  escape,  or  until  the  pursuer's  horse  be- 
comes exhausted,  leaving  her  at  liberty  to  return,  and  to  be  after- 
wards chased  by  some  more  favored  admirer."    Vol.  I.  c.  15.  , 


"^irs^ 


¥■ 


340 


»  » 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


their  enemies.  I  have  ever  thought,  since  my  voy- 
age with  Captain  Cook,  that  the  same  custom  under 
different  forms  exists  tiiroughout  the  islands  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean.  It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  though 
the  Indians  at  Owyhee  brought  a  part  of  Captain 
Cook's  head,  yet  they  had  cut  all  the  iiair  off,  which 
they  did  not  return  to  us.  I  have  also  frequently 
observed  the  islanders  to  wear  great  quantities  of  false 
human  hair.  All  savage  nations  are  fond  of  preserv- 
ing some  badge  or  testimonial  of  the  victory  over 
their  enemies,  of  this  kind.  The  ancient  Scythians 
and  NorthiAmerican  Indians  have  preferred  the  scalp, 
and,  among  the  South  Sea  Islanders,  teeth  and  hair 
are  in  repute  ;  all  of  them  giving  preference  to  some 
part  of  the  head. 

"  The  wampunif  so  universally  in  use  among  the 
Tartars  apparently  as  an  ornament,  I  cannot  but 
suspect  is  used  as  a  substitute  for  letters  in  repre- 
senting their  language,  by  a  kind  of  hieroglyphic  re- 
cord. I  intended  to  make  this  a  subject  of  atten- 
tion, and  to  have  drawings  taken  of  the  Asiatic  and 
American  wampum,  whh  the  view  of  comparing 
them,  but  have  not  been  able  to  do  it.  I  have  seen 
the  initials  of  a  Tartar's  name  worked  in  the  wam- 
pum, on  the  borders  of  his  garment.  A  people 
having  such  great  respect  for  their  ancestors,  as  the 
Tartars  have,  would  naturally  endeavour  to  preserve 
some  memorials  of  them." 

Such  are  the  observations  of  our  traveller,  on  the 
Aboriginal  inhabitants  of  Siberian  Asia.  In  consid- 
ering the  Kalmuks,  Buretti,  Tongusians,  and  Yakuti, 
as  descendants  of  the  Monguls,  he  accords  with  oth- 
er writers ;  but  he  advances  a  bold  and  novel  opinion 
in  classifying  all  these  races  with  the  North  Ameri- 
can Indians,  Greenlanders,  and  the  Chinese.     It  is 


M- 


1^* 


\  ..'vr 


'  ■'<».>JPI-»**P«B>jHt'i>wpijatgir.« 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


241 


nee  to  some 


true,  the  point  seems  never  to  have  beert  established, 
how  far  the  aflhiities  between  different  tribes,  or  na- 
tions of  men,  nuist  be  carried,  in  order  to  bring  them 
within  tlie  same  general  class.  Traditions,  ceremo- 
nies, bodily  form  and  features,  habits,  laws,  religion, 
and  resemblance  of  languages,  must  all  be  taken  into 
the  account.  Whore  there  is  a  similarity  in  many 
of  these  particulars,  it  may  be  safely  inferred,  that 
the  people  among  whom  they  exist,  although  inhab- 
iting regions  remote  from  each  other,  have  sprung 
from  a  common  origin ;  but  it  does  not  follow  with 
equal  probability,  that  where  this  similarity  is  least 
observable,  or  perhaps  unperceived,  they  are  to  be 
set  down  as  radically  distinct  races  of  men.  So 
innumerable  are  the  causes  of  change,  in  aV  these 
respects,  that  no  rule  of  this  sort  can  be  assumed, 
as  applicable  to  any  individual  case  whatever.  Cus- 
toms, laws,  pursuits,  dress,  modes  of  life,  vary  with 
the  climate  and  the  productions  of  the  soil.  People , 
who  live  by  the  chase  and  by  fishing,  will  have  fe\; 
of  the  habits  of  agriculturists.  Approaches  to  civil- 
ization will  gradually  introduce  a  thousand  new  cus- 
toms. 

Language  has  been  thought  the  best  criterion,  by 
which  to  judge  of  the  affinity  between  different  races,' 
and  doubtless  it  is.  That  two  nations  should  speak 
languages  closely  resembling  each  other,  is  hardly 
possible,  unless  they  originated  from  the  same  stock ; 
yet  it  can  by  no  means  be  inferred  with  as  much 
certainty,  that,  because  there  is  a  wide  ■  .-Imilarity 
in  their  languages,  the  sources  whence  liuy  sprung 
were  as  widely  dissimilar.  The  same  causes,  whicp 
change  the  habits  of  men  under  nev  circumstances 
will  change  their  language.  New  words,  and  new 
combinations  of  words,  will  be  required  to  express 
21 


\  I 


;\ 


rr 


! 


(  ,#    ^' 


V 


f 


J' 


n 


i    I 


242 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


ideas  not  known  before.  The  intermingling  of  mi- 
gratory tribes,  speaking  different  languages,  must 
also  introduce  total  confusion,  out  of  which  would 
most  likely  gro.*'^  up  a  dialect,  bearing  little  analogy 
to  either  of  the  primitive  tongues.  Let  such  a  pro- 
cess be  carried  on  for  many  generations,  by  a  suc- 
cession of  intermixtures,  and  what  clue  would  there 
be  to  guide  the  inquirer  through  this  labyrinth  of 
mutations  back  to  the  first  fountain  ?  When  it  is 
considered,  moreover,  that  all  these  tongues  are  un- 
written and  without  any  recognised  principles,  the 
perplexity  is  increased  a  hundred  fold.  According 
to  recent  discoveries,  the  Tchuktchi,  the  natives  in- 
habiting the  American  side  of  Berings'  Strait,  the 
Eskimaux,  and  the  Greenlanders,  speak  languages 
which  have  many  marks  of  affinity.  Their  common 
origin  is  a  very  natural  inference.  Owing  to  a  more 
recent  separation,  or  fewer  intermixtures,  their  lan- 
guage has  been  preserved  with  something  of  its 
primitive  form.  Had  the  same  favorable  circum- 
stances attended  the  migrations  of  other  tribes,  we 
might  perhaps  now  trace  them  to  the  same  source, 
with  as  much  appearance  of  probability.  We  might 
possibly  detect  similar  resemblances  between  the 
Iroquois  and  the  Yakuti,  the  Mohegans  and  the  Kam- 
tschadales,  and  even  the  Polynesians  and  the  Kal- 
muks.  In  short,  the  state  of  the  question  is  simply 
this.  Where  obvious  analogies  exist,  we  may  affirm 
a  connexion  between  the  tribes  in  which  they  pre- 
vail, at  some  remote  or  proximate  period ;  but  where 
tey  do  not  exists  we  can  say  nothing  on  the  subject, 
the  latter  case  we  have  no  warrant  for  deciding 
o^ie  way  or  the  other. 

Taken  in  this  view,  no  well  founded  objection  can 
be  advanced  against  Ledyard's  opinion,  although  it 


» ,' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


243 


would  not  be  easy  to  establish  it  by  a  consecutive 
series  of  proofs.  It  was  the  result  of  a  long  observa- 
tion of  genei:al  appearances,  rather  than  of  a  minute 
and  methodical  research.  It  was  not  with  him  an 
idle  speculation,  indulged  for  the  moment,  and  then 
disnrissed.  After  his  return  from  Siberia,  he  reite- 
rated the  same  sentiments.  In  connexion  with  a 
short  account  of  his  travels,  he  writes  to  a  friend  in 
these  emphatic  words. 

"  You  will  please  to  accept  these  two  observations, 
as  the  result  of  extensive  and  assiduous  inquiry. 
They  are  with  me  well  ascertained  facts.  The  first 
is,  that  the  difference  of  color  in  the  human  species 
(as  the  observation  applies  to  all  but  the  Negroes, 
whom  I  have  not  v^isited)  originates  from  natural 
causes.  The  second  is.  tint  all  the  Asiatic  Indians, 
called  Tartars,  and  all  the  Tartars,  who  formed  the 
later  armies  of  Genghis  Khan,  together  with  the 
Chinese,  are  the  same  people,  and  that  the  Ameri- 
■  can  Tartar  is  also  of  the  same  family  ;  the  most  an- 
cient and  numerous  people  on  earth,  and  the  most 
uniformly  alike." 

In  this  place  may  be  inserted,  also,  his  remarks  to 
Mr  Jefferson,  in  a  letter  written  nearly  at  the  same 
time  with  the  above.  After  reiterating  his  opinion, 
in  regard  to  the  causes  of  the  difference  of  color  in 
the  human  race,  he  continues  ; 

"  I  am  certain,  that  all  the  people  you  call  red 
people  on  the  continent  of  America,  and  on  the  con- 
tinents of  Europe  and  Asia,  as  far  south  as  the  south- 
ern parts  of  China,  are  all  one  people,  by  whatever 
names  distinguished,  and  that  the  best  general  Mytne 
would  be  Tartar.  I  suspect  that  all  red  people  are 
of  the  same  family.  I  am  satisfied  that  America 
was  peopled  from  Asia,  and  had  ^orae,  if  not  all,  its 
animals  from  thence,  ^        ,.,,,.- 


"V 


-i    . 


'■"  ■ ''^  v*..^.*-**. 


>■,,  A  ■♦-•••••-■  r ••%#<..* ,*v •«». 


'^smtatnt.' 


fi-'T^ 


k  li 


'.  0 


;l  '*; 


'  1  '• 

1^ 


''-  X'- 


244 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


"  I  am  satisfied,  that  the  great  general  analogy  in 
the  customs  of  men  can  only  be  accounted  for,  by 
supposing  them  all  to  compose  one  family  ;  and,  by 
extending  the  idea,  and  uniting  customs,  traditions, 
and  history,  I  am  satisfied,  that  this  common  origin 
was  such,  or  nearly,  as  related  by  Moses,  and  com- 
monly believed  among  the  nations  of  the  earth. 
There  is,  also,  a  transposition  of  things  on  the  globe, 
that  must  have  been  produced  by  some  cause  equal 
to  the  effect,  which  is  vast  and  curious.  Whether  I 
repose  on  arguments  drawn  from  facts  observed  by 
myself,  or  send  imagination  forth  to  find  a  cause, 
they  both  declare  to  me  a  general  deluge." 

It  will  be  perceived  that  he  uses  the  word  Tartar 
in  a  broader  sense,  than  is  commonly  given  to  it, 
embracing  not  only  all  the  northern  Asiatic  races 
and  the  Chinese,  but  likewise  the  Aborigines  of  North 
America.  Pallas  says,  that  even  the  Monguls  and 
Kalmuks  are  not  rightly  called  Tartars,  and  that 
these  latter  people  are  different  from  the  former  in 
their  origin,  customs,  political  e^stablishments,  and  the 
lineaments  of  their  features.  They  inhabit  the 
northern  regions  of  Thibet,  and  western  Siberia, 
never  mingling  with  the  Kalmuks.  These  facts  in 
no  degree  affect  Ledyard's  use  of  the  word.  He 
employs  it  as  a  general  term,  and  in  a  definite  man- 
ner, without  regard  to  its  original  meaning. 


"-'^Hf 


i  ,,• 


■*■•■■ 


■'.;'  -sv 


:,*^  jS;  vv 


) ; 


\ 


.fr'7  "  ■■ ' •/'■" 


\  ,■  fr- 


"is^^r---  ./~« 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


245 


CHAPTER  XI. 


Climate  in  Siberia.— Extreme  cold. — Congdation  of  quicksilver. — 
Images  in  Russian  houses. — Attention  paid  to  dogs. — Ice  win- 

j.  dows. — Jealousy    of  the  Russians. — Moral   condition  of   the 

Russians  in  Siberia. — Ledyard's  celebrated  eulogy  on  women. — 

■  Captain  Billings  meets  him  at  Yakutsk,  on  his  return  from  the 

■  Frozen  Ocean. — Bering's  discovery  of  the  strait  called  after  his 
name — Russian  voyages  of  discovery. — Bering's  death. — Rus- 
sian fur  trade. — Billings's  expedition. — His  incoiupetency  to  the 
undertaking. — His  instructions  nearly  the  same  as  (hose  drawn 
up  by  Peter  the  Great  for  Bering. — Some  of  their  principal  fea- 
tures enumerated.  *  w 

A  FEW  Other  selections  on  miscellaneous  topics  will 
now  be  made  from  that  part  of  the  journal,  which 
was  written  at  Yakutsk. 

"  At  Kazan  there  is  abundance  of  snow ;  at  Ir-» 
kutsk,  which  is  in  about  the  same  latitude,  very  little. 
Here  at  Yakutsk  the  atmosphere  is  constantly  charg- 
ed with  snow  ;  it  sometimes  falls,  but  very  sparingly, 
and  that  in  the  daytime  ;  rarely,  if  ever,  at  night.; 
The  air  is  much  hke  that  which  we  experienced  with 
Captain  Cook  in  mare  glaciali,  between  the  latitudes 
of  seventy  and  seventy-two ;  seldom  a  serene  sky, 
or  detached  clouds ;  the  upper  region  is  a  dark, 
still,  expanded  .vapor,  with  few  openings  in  it.  The 
lower  atmosphere  contains  clouds  floating  overhead, 
resembling  fog-banks.  In  general  the  motion  of 
everything  above  and  below  is  languid.  The  sum- 
mers are  said  to  be  dry  ;  the  days  very  hot,  nights 
cold,  and  the  weather  exceedingly  changeable, 
subject  to  high  winds  generally  from  the  north,  and 
sometimes  heavy  snows  in  August.  I  have  seen 
but  one  aurora  borealis,  and  that  not  an  extraordina- 
ry one. 

"  The  people  in  Yakutsk  have  no  wells.  They 
21* 


,;;*»> 


^*»»*^- 


•rjr*" 


■Mpa 


I        i 


\  I 


r  t 


<S46 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


f 


i; 


,*■,' 


have  tried  them  to  a  very  great  depth,  but  they 
freeze  even  in  summer  ;  consequently  they  have  all 
their  water  from  the  river.     But  in  winter  they  can- 
not bring  water  in  its  fluid  state ;  it  freezes  on  the 
way.     It  is  then  brought  in  large  cakes  of  ice  to 
their  houses,  and  piled  up  in  their  yards.     As  water 
is  wanted  they  bring  these  pieces  of  ice  into  the 
warni  rooms  where  they  thaw,  and  become  fit  for 
use.      JViilk    is   brought  to   market    in    the    same 
way.     A  Yakuti  came  into  our  house  to-day  with  a 
bag  full  of  ice.     '  What,'  said  1  to  Laxman,  '  has 
the  man  brought  ice  to  sell  in  Siberia?'  It  was  milk. 
Clean  mercury  exposed  to  the  air  is  now  constantly 
frozen.     By  repeated  observations  I  have  found  in 
December,  that  two  ounces  of  quicksilver  openly 
exposed  have  frozen  hard  in  fifteen  minutes.    It  may 
be  cut  with  a  knife,  like  lead.    Strong  cogniac  bran- 
dy coagulated.     A  thermometer,  filled  with  rectified 
spirits  of  wine,  indicated  thirty-nine  and  a  half  de- 
grees on  Reaumur's  scale.     Captain  Billings  had, 
on  the  borders  of  the  Frozen  Ocean  the  winter  be- 
fore last,  forty-three  degrees  and  three  fourths  by 
the  same  thermometer.     In  these  severe  frosts  the 
air  is  condensed,  like  a  thick  fog.     The  atmosphere 
itself  is  frozen ;  respiration  is  fatiguing ;  all  exercise 
must  be  as  moderate  as  possible ;  one's  confidence 
is  in  his  fur  dress.    It  is  a  happy  provision  of  nature, 
that  in  such  intense  colds  there  is  seldom  any  wind ; 
when  there  is,  it  is  dangerous  to  be  abroad.     In 
t'lese  seasons,  there  is  no  chase  ;  the  animals  submit 
themselves  to  hunger  and  security,  and  so  does  man. 
All  nature  groans  beneath  the  rigorous  winter.* 


*  The  following  is  the  statement  of  Captain  Cochrane,  respect-> 
ing  the  degree  of  cqld  at  the  river  Kolyma,  which  he  visited  ip  th« 


■^sim. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


247 


"  The  first  settlers  here  [Russians]  came  round 
by  the  North  Sea,  about  two  hundred  and  fifty  years 
ago.  A  gentleman  showed  me  to-day  a  copy  of  a 
marriage  contract  done  at  Moscow,  two  hundred  ard 
five  years  ago.  It  is  a  folio  page,  and  there  are  only 
sixteen  words  intelligible  to  an  ordinary  reader, 
which  correspond  to  the  orthography  of  the  present 
day.  Many  instances  of  longevity  occur  in  this 
place.  There  is  a  man  one  hundred  and  ten  years 
old,  who  is  in  perfect  health,  and  labors  daily.  The 
images  in  the  Russian  houses,  which  I  should  take  for 
a  kind  of  household  gods,  are  very  expensive.  The 
principal  ones  have  a  great  deal  of  silver  lavished 
on  them.  To  furnish  out  a  house  properly  with 
these  Dii  Minores,  would  cost  a  large  sum.  When 
burnt  out,  as  I  have  witnessed  several  times,  the 
people  have  appeared  more  anxious  for  these,  than 
for  anything  else.  The  images  form  almost  the 
whole  decoration  of  the  churches,  and  those  melted 
in  one  of  them  just  burnt  down,  are  estimated  to 
have  been  worth  at  least  thirty  thousand  roubles. 
The  warm  bath  is  used  by  the  peasantry  here  early 
in  life,  from  which  it  is  common  for  them  to  plunge 


winter  of  1820-21.  "The  weather  proved  exceedingly  cold  In 
January  and  February,  but  never  so  severe  as  to  preveutourwallts, 
except  during  those  times  when  the  wind  was  high ;  it  then  be- 
came insupportable  out  of  doors,  and  we  were  obliged  to  remain  at 
home.  Forty  degrees  of  frost  of  Fahrenheit  never  appear  to  af- 
fect us  in  calm  weather,  so  much  as  ten  or  fifteen  during  the  timo 
of  a  breeze.  Forty-three  of  Reaumur,  or  seventy-senen  of  Fah- 
renheit, have  been  repeatedly  known.  I  will,  also,  add  my  testi- 
mony from  experiment  to  the  extent  o{  forty-two.  I  have  also 
seen  the  minute  book  of  a  gentleman  at  Yakutsk,  where  forty- 
seven  of  Reaumur  were  registered,  equal  to  eighty-four  of  Fahren- 
heit." 

By  various  experiments  it  has  been  proved,  that  mercury  coiv 
eeals  at  thirty -two  degrees  below  zero  of  Reaumur's  scale^  and 
forty  of  Fahrenheit's. 


.  I 


.1     n%.  ■ 


Me 


>  IFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


:     J. 


i      I 


ii 


t^ 


into  the  river,  and  if  there  happens  to  be  new  fallen 
si'ow,  they  couie  naked  from  the  bath  and  wallow 
therein.  Dances  are  accompanied,  or  rather  per- 
formed, by  the  saino  odd  twisting  and  writhing  of  tho 
hipL,  as  at  Otphcite. 

"  Dogs  are  i.ere  esteemed  nearly  in  ibe  s;.n  e  de- 
gree, that  horses  are  in  England ;  for  besi  ies  unower- 
ing  the  aame  purpose  in  travelling,  th(,v  aid  the  • 
people  in  the  chase,  antl,  nfter  toiling  foi-  them  the 
whole  day, beco!'!-;;  their  tuiVenard  m  night.  Indeed 
they  command  tho  greatest  attention.  There  are 
dog-farriers  to  attend  them  in  sickness,  who  are  no 
despicable  rivals  in  art,  at  least  in  preKnisiivn,  to  tJie 
hcrse-dootors  of  civihzed  Europe.  J>ogj  also  co  :> 
raand  a  high  price.  What  they  call  a  leadsTig  dog 
c  fMnii;e  character  will  sell  for  three  or  four  hundred 
roubles. 

"  E'  rrv  bodv  in  Yakutsk  has  two  kinds  of  win- 
dowi»,  tne  one  for  summer,  and  the  other  for  winter. 
Tiiose  for  the  latter  season  are  of  mimy  different 
forms  and  materials  ;  but  all  are  so  covered  with  ice 
on  the  inside,  that  they  are  not  transparf  nt,  and  are 
so  far  useless.  You  can  see  nothing  w  ithout,  not 
even  the  body  of  the  sun  at  noon.  Ice  is  most  com- 
monly used  for  windows  in  winter,  and  talc  in  sum- 
mer. These  afford  a  gloomy  kind  of  light  within, 
that  serves  for  ordinary  purposes. 

"  The  Russ  dress  in  this  region  is  Asiatic  ;  long, 
loose,  and  of  the  mantle  kind,  covering  almost  every 
part  of  the  body.  It  is  a  dress  not  originally  calcu- 
lated for  the  latitude  they  inhabit.  Within  doors  the  ' 
Russian  is  Asiatic;  without,  European.  The  Em- 
press gives  three  ranks  to  officers  that  come  into  . 
Siberia,  and  serve  six  years ;  two  while  out  from 
Petersburg,  and  one  on  their  return.     It  has  two  \ 


u. 


■'i 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


249 


important  effects,  one  to  civilize  Siberia,  and  the  , 
other  to  prostitute  rank.  I  have  before  my  eyes 
the  most  consummate  scoundrels  in  the  universe,  ot  ' 
a  rank  that  in  any  civilized  country  would  be  a 
signal  of  the  best  virtues  of  the  heart  and  the  head, 
or  at  Jeast  of  common  honesty  and  common  decen- 
cy. The  succession  of  these  characters  is  every  six 
years. 

"  So  strong  is  the  propensity  of  the  Russians  to 
jealousy,  that  they  are  guilty  of  the  lowest  offences 
on  that  account.  The  observation  may  appear  trivi- 
al, but  an  ordinary  Russian  will  be  displeased,  if  one 
even  endeavours  to  gain  the  good  will  of  his  dog.  I 
affronted  the  commandant  of  this  town  very  highly, 
by  permitting  his  dog  to  walk  with  me  one  after- 
noon. He  expostulated  with  me  very  seriously  about 
it.  This  is  not  the  only  instance.  I  live  with  a 
young  Russian  officer,  with  whom  I  came  from  Ir- 
kutsk. No  circumstance  has  ever  interrupted  the 
harmony  between  us,  but  his  dogs.  They  have  done 
it  twice.  A  pretty  little  puppy  he  has,  came  to  me 
one  day,  and  jumped  upon  my  knee.  I  patted  his 
head,  and  gave  him  some  bread.  The  man  flew  at 
the  dog  in  the  utmost  rage,  and  gave  him  a  blow, 
which  broke  his  leg.  The  lesson  I  gave  him  on  the 
occasion  has  almost  cured  him,  for  1  bid  him  beware 
how  he  disturbed  my  peace  a  third  time  by  this  ras- 
cally passion. 

"  I  have  observed  from  Petersburg  to  this  place, 
that  the  Russians  in  general  have  few  moral  virtues- 
The  bulk  of  the  people  are  almost  without  any. 
The  laws  of  the  cvwntry  are  mostly  penal  laws  ;  but 
all  laws  of  this  kind  are  Httie  else  than  negative  in- 
structers.  They  inform  the  people  what  they  shall 
not  do,  and  affix  the  penah)   to  the  transgression ; 


'V. 


.,iV* 


r — 


MMMMl 


vv 


260 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


i. 


a. 


*;, 


but  they  do  not  inform  people  what  they  ought  to  do, 
and  affix  the  reward  to  virtue.  Untaught  in  the 
sublime  of  morality,  the  Russian  has  not  that  glori- 
ous basis  on  which  to  nxalt  his  nature.  This,  in 
some  countries,  is  made  the  business  of  religion ; 
and,  in  others,  of  the  civil  laws.  In  this  unfortunate 
country,  it  is  the  business  of  neither  civil  nor  eccle- 
siastical concernment.  A  citizen  here  fulfils  his 
duty  to  the  laws,  if,  like  a  base  Asiatic,  he  licks  the 
feet  of  his  superior  in  rank  ;  and  his  duty  to  his 
God,  if  he  fills  his  house  with  ii  set  of  ill  looking 
brass  and  silver  saints,  and  worships  them.  It  is  for 
these  reasons,  that  the  peasantry  in  particular  are 
die  most  unprincipled  in  Cliristendoin.  1  have  look- 
ed for  certain  virtues  of  the  heart,  that  are  called 
natural.  1  find  them  not  in  the  most  obscure  villages 
of  the  empire.  On  the  contrary,  I  find  the  rankest 
vices  to  abound  there,  as  much  as  in  the  capital 
itself." 

A  few  isolated  facts  will  now  be  added,  which 
he  collected  chiefly  from  the  information  of  others, 
but  which  he  deemed  worthy  of  a  place  in  his  jour- 
nal. 

"  The  Tongusians  are  tattooed.  The  Samoiedes 
have  the  double-headed  paddle.  They  fish  with  nets 
under  the  ice.  The  Buretti  have  the  Mahometan 
lock  of  hair.  The  Kuriles  are  tattooed.  A  journal 
of  a  Russian  officer  says  they  are  very  hain^  They 
traffic  with  the  Japanese  in  feathers  and  fish.  The 
islands  have  little  vegetation.  The  people  are  re- 
served in  conversation  ;  they  are  comely  ;  have  their 
materials  for  boat  and  house  building  from  the  con- 
tinent, or  from  the  Japanese.  They  are  very  wild, 
and  receive  strangers  with  the  most  threatening  and 
formal  appearance,  but  afterwards  they  are  kind  and 


:m 


■---.  f. .  .,<• 


-•.,»■•■•»  <■"• 


,k.  ^•--««i' 


'  V     •■•'  -^•^^^-    -■■— -^j^ 


« 


/'l 


LIF.3  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


351 


light  to  do, 

ght  in  the 

that  glori- 

1 

This,  in 

B 

f  religion ; 
mfortunate 

I 

nor  eccle- 

^^B 

fiilfils  his 

^B 

e  licks  the 

'I^H 

iity  to  his 
ill  looking 

ll 

.     It  is  for 

ticular  are 

have  look- 

are  called 

■■  j'f 

ire  villages 
tlie  rankest 

A. 

the  capital 

'  '''^E' 

led,  which 

.r^g^B 

of  others, 

s 

in  his  jour- 

"'3^^B 

Snrnoiedes 

■ 

h  with  nets 

9 

Mahometan 

'']^^i 

A  journal 
irr.    They 
fish.     The 

-'il^^l 

pie  are  re- 

^^1 

have  their 

^H 

n  the  con- 

^H 

very  wild, 
tening  and 
e  kind  and 

I 

hospitable.  The  coast  of  the  Frozen  Ocean  is  full 
of  trees  and  driftwood  for  five  versts  out.  It  is  re- 
marked by  the  Russians,  that  since  their  knowledge 
of  those  regions  the  land  has  increased  towards  the 
sea,  and  driven  it  northwards,  a  circumstance  attrib- 
utable, perhaps  to  the  large  rivers,  that  empty  them- 
selves there. — Informed  that  the  custom  of  staining 
the  nails  of  the  fingers  of  a  scarlet  color,  is  com- 
mon near  the  Caspian  and  Black  seas.  I  saw  one 
instance  of  it  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Kazan.  It  is 
likewise  a  custom  among  the  Cochin-Chinese.  I 
saw  it  at  the  island  of  Perlo  Condor.  I'he  custom 
of  culling  John  the  son  of  John,  Alexander  the  son 
of  Alexander,  prevails  among  the  Russians." 

The  preceding  selections  embrace  nearly  all  that 
is  rontaincd  in  the  journal,  under  the  dates  of  his 
residence  at  Yakutsk,  except  the  celebrated  eulogy 
on  women,  which  was  likewise  written  at  that  place. 
This  beautifiil  and  touching  tribute  to  the  superiority 
of  the  female  character,  is  the  more  to  be  valued,  as 
coming  from  one  whose  sphere  of  observation  and 

i  experience  had  been  such,  as  to  enable  him  to  speak 
with  confidence,  and  whose  sincerity  cannot  be  sus- 
pected. It  is  the  simple  effusion  of  a  grateful  heart, 
recorded  in  his  private  journal,  not  intended  for  the 
public  eye,  and  obviously  written,  hke  the  rest  of  the 

,  manuscript  compositions  left  behind  him,  without  any 
other  design,  than  to  quicken  his  own  recollections, 
or  perhaps  amuse  his  intimate  friends  in  a  vacant 
hour.  This  eulogy  was  first  printed,  shortly  after 
the  author's  death,  in  the  Transactions  of  the  Afri- 
can Association,  in  which  it  was  inserted  by  Mr 

/  Beaufoy,  secretary  to  that  body,  who  then  had  the 
Siberian  journal  in  his  possession.  It  has  often  been 
reprinted,  and  universally  admired,  not  more  for  the 


I  ' 


•    \\ 


J- 


-   'I 


m. 


I 


252 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


flentiments  it  contains,  and  the  genuine  feeling  that 
pervades  it,  than  for  its  terse  and  appropriate  lan- 
guage. The  original  has  been  altered  in  some  of 
tl  '^  transcripts.  It  is  here  introduced  as  found  in  the 
journal. 

"  I  have  observed  among  all  nations,  that  the 
women  ornament  themselves  more  than  the  men ; 
that,  wherever  found,  they  are  the  same  kind,  civil, 
obliging,  humane,  tender  beings ;  that  they  are  ever 
inchned  to  be  gay  and  cheerful,  timorous  and  mod- 
est. They  do  not  hesitate,  like  man,  to  perform  a 
hospitable  or  generous  action ;  not  hauglity,  nor  ar- 
rogant, nor  supercilious,  but  full  of  courtesy  and  fond 
of  society  ;  industrious,  economical,  ingenuous;  more 
liable  in  general  to  err  than  man,  but  in  general, 
also,  more  virtuous,  and  performing  more  good  ac- 
tions than  he.  1  never  addressed  myself  in  the 
language  of  decency  and  friendship  to  a  woman, 
whether  civilized  or  savage,  without  receiving  a  de- 
cent and  friendly  answer.  Whh  man  it  has  often 
been  otherwise.  In  wandering  over  the  barren 
plains  of  inhospitable  Denmark,  through  honest 
Sweden,  frozen  Lapland,  rude  and  churlish  Finland, 
unprincipled  Russia,  and  the  wide  spread  regions  of 
the  wandering  Tartar,  if  hungry,  dry,  cold,  wet,  or 
sick,  woman  has  ever  been  friendly  to  me,  and  uni- 
formly so  ;  and  to  add  to  this  virtue,  so  worthy  of 
the  appellation  of  benevolence,  these  actions  have 
been  performed  in  so  free  and  so  kind  a  manner, 
that,  if  I  was  dry,  I  drank  the  sweet  draught,  and, 
if  hungry,  ate  the  coarse  morsel,  with  a  double  rel- 
ish." 

By  these  specimens  of  his  journal,  we  may  judge 
how  the  traveller  employed  himself  at  Yakutsk,  dur- 
ing the  weary   days  of  his   compulsory  residence 


« 


v-.^;K  jf'.  '■ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


253 


eeling  that 
iiiate  lan- 
in  some  of 
)und  in  the 

;,  that  the 
the  men ; 
kind,  civil, 
y  are  ever 
and  mod- 
perform  a 
ty,  nor  ar- 
>y  and  fond 
ous;  more 
n  general, 
B  good  ac- 
leif  in  the 
a  woman, 
iving  a  de- 
t  has  often 
he  barren 
gh   honest 
h  Finland, 
regions  of 
Id,  wet,  or 
I,  and  uni- 
vvorthy  of 
ions  have 
manner, 
ight,  and, 
louble  rel- 

\ay  judge 

itsk,  dur- 

I  residence 


there.  He  had  not  been  te  two  months  in  this 
town,  when  Captain  Billings  arrived  from  his  expe- 
dition to  the  river  Kolyma,  and  the  Frozen  Ocean. 
An  intimate  acquaintance  had  formerly  subsisted  be- 
tween Lcdyard  and  Billings.  The  latter  had  been 
an  assistant  to  the  astronomer  Bayly,  during  the 
whole  of  Cook's  last  voyage.  He  was  now  em- 
ployed under  the  orders  of  the  Empress  of  Russia, 
on  a  mission  for  exploring  the  northeastern  regions 
of  her  territories,  and  for  prosecuting  discoveries  in 
geography  and  natural  science.  Billings  was  much 
surprised  at  meeting  his  old  acquaintance  in  the 
heart  of  Siberia,  not  having  hep.rd  from  him  since 
their  separation  at  the  close  of  the  voyage.  Mean- 
time he  had  entered  the  Russian  service,  and  by  a 
concurrence  of  favorable  circumstances,  not  easy  to 
be  accounted  for,  had  obtained  the  command  of  a 
very  impcitant  expedition.  Ledyard  was  no  doubt 
glad  to  r.ieet  a  person,  in  this  rude  quarter  of  the 
world,  who  could  speak  his  own  language,  and  who 
had  some  recollections  in  common  with  himself;  but, 
in  other  respects,  tlie  com})anionship  .was  not  such, 
as  to  promote  his  advantage,  or  his  enjoyment.  Bil- 
lings gave  no  proof,  that  he  was  competent  to  the 
high  trust  reposed  in  him  by  the  Russian  govern- 
ment, or  that  he  possessed  qualities  suited  to  win  the 
esteem  of  his  associates.  >*' 

A  few  remarks,  relating  lo  the  purposes  of  the 
expedition  just  alluded  to,  may  very  well  be  introdu- 
ced in  this  place,  as  in  some  of  its  parts  it  was  more 
or  less  in  unison  with  the  designs  of  the  American 
traveller.  Russian  enterprise  had  by  no  means  htan 
backward  in  pushing  discoveries  to  the  east  and 
north,  even  at  i  comparatively  early  period.  About 
the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  DeschnefF 
22 


\i 


\: 


I" 


m 


''■I. 


254 


V  \ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


and  his  companions  passed  down  tho  Kolyr.  (  sai*fd 
along  the  coast  of  tlie  Tchuktchi  country  in  .'le  Icy 
Sea,  thence  discovered  a  route  by  land  from  this 
coast  to  Anadir.  Other  adventures  were  undertaken, 
and  discoveries  made  at  successive  periods,  by 
Staduchin,  Markoff,  Willegin,  and  Amossoff.  But 
the  journeys  and  voyn^es  of  these  persons  had  ex- 
tended only  to  the  Tchuktchi  territory,  Anadir, 
Kamlschatka,  the  Kurile  Islands,  and  to  the  neigh- 
bouring seas.  Neither  the  Strait,  which  separates 
Asia  from  America,  nor  any  part  of  the  American 
coast  on  the  northwest,  n(  !•  the  Aleutian  Islands,  had 
been  visited  before  the  year  1728,  when  Captain 
Bering  made  his  voyagei  of  discovery.  Tiiis  voy- 
age was  planned  by  Peter  the  Great,  who  wrote  out 
with  his  own  hand  the  instructions  for  the  command- 
er. He  died  before  they  were  put  in  execution, 
but  the  Empress,  who  succeeded  him,  carried  the 
original  design  into  effect.  Captain  Bering  was 
despatched  to  Kamtschatka,  with  orders  to  construct 
two  vessels  there,  and  to  sail  in  them  for  the  purpose 
of  examining  the  coast  towards  the  east  and  north, 
and  of  ascertaining,  if  possible,  whether  Asia  and 
America  were  separated  by  the  ocean.  In  the  year 
abovementioned  he  made  this  voyage,  and  discover- 
ed the  strait,  to  which  his  name  has  been  given.  He 
kept  so  close  to  the  Asiatic  shore,  that  he  did  not  see 
the  American  coast ;  but  he  sailed  northward  till,  on 
doubling  a  cape,  he  saw  an  open  sea  before  him, 
which  presented  a  boundless  horizon  to  the  north 
and  west,  and  convinced  him  that  the  two  continents 
nowhere  came  in  contact  with  each  other.  The  sea- 
son was  far  advanced,  and  he  returned  to  the  river 
of  Kamtschatka,  where  he  wintered. 

The  success  of  this  voyage  was  such,  as  to  en- 


iti 


.m- 


~^~r7- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


365 


as  to  en- 


courage the  government  to  undertake  others.  A 
plan  was  formed  for  navigating  the  whole  northern 
coast  of  Russia,  from  Archangel  to  Kamtschatka. 
Several  expeditions  were  fitted  out  for  this  purpose 
from  Archangel,  the  mouths  of  the  Ob,  Yenissey, 
Lena,  .and  Kolyma,  and  after  incredible  sufferings 
by  the  officers  and  men  engaged  in  them,  and  the 
loss  of  a  great  many  lives  in  those  terrific  regions  of 
cold  and  privation,  all  further  attempts  were  aban- 
doned. Some  new  portions  of  the  coast  were  ex- 
amined, but  much  remained  unexplored,  and  has 
continued  so  to  this  day.  No  passage  has  been  ef- 
fected entirely  round  the  north  coast  of  Asia,  any 
more  than  round  that  of  America. 

Twelve  years  after  his  first  discovery,  Bering 
made  another  voyage,  fell  in  with  the  Aleutian  Isl- 
ands, explored  the  American  coast  for  a  considerable 
distance,  and  discovered  and  named  Mount  Saint 
Elias.  In  returning  to  Kamtschatka  at  the  begin- 
ning of  winter,  he  was  driven  in  distress  upon  an 
island  near  the  Asiatic  coast,  where  he  and  several 
of  his  men  died.  The  island  has  since  borne  his 
name.  The  remnant  of  his  crew  arrived  in  the 
spring  at  Kamtschatka. 

From  this  period  the  Russians  kept  up  an  active 
fur  trade,  from  Okotsk  and  Kamtschatka,  with  the 
natives  of  the  Aleutian  Islands,  but  voyages  of  dis- 
covery ceased  for  a  long  time.  A  tribute  in  furs 
was  collected  for  the  Russian  government  from  the 
natives,  by  the  traders  who  went  among  them,  and 
authentic  accounts  are  related  of  barbarities  prac- 
tised by  the  latter  against  the  former,  in  their  exac- 
tions of  labor  in  procuring  furs,  equalling  in  cruelty 
the  servitude  of  the  jnitasj  inflicted  by  the  Spaniards 
in  South  America  on  the  Indians,  whom  they  com- 


■?^- 


•T* 


»>.i^'^*»i>'^-*'"""*''*>-^-*^t.  •♦>kv'-,/^«.-«*»<"^«uJ^*l»,.._^»,  ,»'*V^.,^.  *  ■'*  »    ..•..H..  ."*.  (V  n. 


,  k.^^^.  1^  •■, 


mmmm 


256 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


U   \ 


\il 


:/. 


\ 


pelled  to  work  in  the  mines.  The  party  of  traders, 
whom  Ledyard  visited  at  Onalaska,  however,  can- 
not be  brought  under  this  imputation  in  its  full  ex- 
tent, for  he  describes  them  as  kind  to  the  natives, 
whom  he  saw  with  them.  It  is  to  be  considered, 
nevertheless,  that  the  cruelties  were  principally  suf- 
fered by  those,  who  were  sent  abroad  to  hunt  and 
trap,  and  made  to  endure  cold,  and  hunger,  and 
all  the  severities  of  the  climate.  These  sufferers, 
would  not  come  under  the  traveller's  observation,  in 
the  short  time  that  he  remained  with  the  traders  at 
Onalaska. 

Such  was  the  state  of  the  Russian  fur  trade  on  the 
American  coast  from  the  date  of  Bering's  last  dis- 
coveries, till  that  of  Cook's  voyage  to  the  northern 
polar  seas,  a  period  of  about  forty  years.  During 
that  space  the  government  appears  to  have  paid  no 
attention  to  the  subject,  except  to  take  care  that  its 
agents  at  Okotsk  and  Kamtschatka  gathered  tribute 
from  the  islands.  But  when  Cook's  last  voyage 
began  to  make  a  noise  in  Europe,  and  his  discoveries 
on  the  Norihwest  Coast  of  America  and  in  the 
adjoining  seas  to  be  known,  the  sagacious  Catherine 
was  quick  to  perceive,  that  her  interests  were  in- 
volved in  the  affair,  and  that  it  was  time  for  her  to 
look  to  these  remote  and  hitherto  neglected  parts  of 
her  dominions.  In  short,  an  expedition  was  planned 
on  a  large  and  liberal  scale,  and  it  was  resolved, 
that,  in  preparing  for  it,  nothing  should  be  spared, 
which  was  necessary  to  combine  in  it  nil  possible 
facilities  for  prosecuting  discoveries,  both  by  land 
and  by  sea. 

Professor  Pallas,  who  was  a  favorite  with  the 
Empress,  and  who  had  travelled  in  Siberia  under 
her  patronage,  was  particularly  instrumental  in  sug- 


'\  ...^  • »  ^ -,*' 


of  traders, 
wever,  can- 
its  full  ex- 
the  natives, 
considered, 
icipally  suf- 
to  hunt  and 
lunger,  and 
!e  sufferers, 
servation,  in 
le  traders  at 

trade  on  the 
ig's  last  dis- 
lie  northern 
rs.  During 
ave  paid  no 
jare  that  its 
ered  tribute 
last  voyage 

discoveries 
and  in  the 
s  Catherine 

ts  were  in- 
for  her  to 

ed  parts  of 
vas  planned 
LS  resolved, 

be  spared, 
nil  possible 

til  by  land 

with   the 
ieria  under 
ntal  in  sug- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


257 


•*-ia 


gesting  and  maturing  this  plan.  The  choice  of  a 
commander  was  an  important  consideration,  and 
this  was  at  last  effected  wholly  through  the  interest 
of  the  Professor.  JVIr  Billings,  who  had  recently 
obtained  a  lieutenancy  in  the  Russian  service,  had 
found  means  to  insinuate  himself  into  the  favor  of 
Pallas,  and  to  impress  him  with  a  high  opinion  of 
his  understanding  and  knowledge ;  in  which  he 
discovered,  however,  after  it  was  too  late,  that  he 
was  unfortunately  mistaken.  The  circumstance  of 
this  lieutenant  having  been  with  Cook,  in  the  regions 
that  were  to  be  explored,  filling  a  station  which 
gave  him  some  pretensions  to  science,  was  thought 
to  be  a  strong  recommendation ;  and  so  it  would 
have  been,  if  in  more  important  respects  he  had 
possessed  the  qualities  of  a  commander,  and  a  man 
of  enterprise.  In  these  he  was  singularly  deficient ; 
as  was  fully  demonstrated  in  the  sequel  of  the  expe- 
dition. He  was  appointed  to  the  command,  and  left 
Petersburg  for  Siberia  in  October,  1785,  about 
eighteen  months  before  Ledyard  arrived  in  the  Rus- 
sian capital. 

The  instructions  to  Billings  were  so  well  drawn 
up,  that  they  deserve  a  passing  notice.  They  were 
prepared  on  the  basis  of  those,  which  had  been 
written  by  Peter  the  Great  for  Captain  Bering. 
Every  provision  was  made  for  the  advancement  of 
science  and  geographical  knowledge,  as  well  as  for 
extending  the  influence  of  the  Russian  government 
in  remote  and  unknown  parts.  The  great  specific 
objects  were,  to  determine  the  latitude  and  longitude 
of  the  mouth  of  the  river  Kolyma,  and  the  line  of 
coast  from  that  point  to  the  East  Cape  in  Bering's 
Strait;  the  construction  of  an  exact  chart  of  the 
Eastern  Ocean,  and  the  islands  between  Asia  an  I 
22* 


■  >hi^^.iiiMii.\ 


258 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


1     I'l 


America  ;  and  the  attainment  of  all  such  knowledge 
of  those  regions  as  might  serve  to  illustrate  the  reign 
of  her  Imperial  Majesty,  by  improving  the  condition 
and  promoting  the  happiness  of  the  natives  inhabit- 
ing those  distant  lands,  and  by  collecting  and  diffus- 
ing new  truths  of  science,  for  the  general  benefit  of 
mankind. 

The  instructions  for  scientific  researches  were 
minute,  perspicuous,  and  explicit.  Professor  Pallas 
was  much  consulted  in  preparing  them.  And,  in- 
deed, the  separate  articles  for  the  naturalist,  drawn 
up  with  admirable  precision  and  method,  were  en- 
tirely from  his  pen,  and  issued  with  his  signature. 
Observations  in  geography  and  meteorology,  exact 
delineations  of  charts,  and  notes  of  electrical  phe- 
nomena, variations  of  the  needle,  and  of  barometri- 
cal and  tliermometrical  changes,  were  expressly 
required.  The  various  departments  of  the  animal, 
vegetable,  and  mineral  kingdoms  were  also  particu- 
larized, and  the  utmost  care  enjoined  in  collecting 
specimens,  and  forwarding  them  to  Petersburg. 
Drawings  were  to  be  made  of  curious  and  extraor- 
dinary objects.  The  manners,  disposition,  and  oc- 
cupations of  the  natives  were  to  be  described,  and 
also  their  modes  of  living,  government,  religions, 
their  dresses,  arms,  and  manufactures.  Moreover, 
vocabularies  of  their  languages  were  ordered  to  be 
made,  according  to  a  model  previously  furnished. 
The  commander,  the  naturalist,  and  all  the  principal 
officers,  were  directed  to  keep  journals  for  the  future 
inspection  of  the  Admiralty. 

Another  feature  in  these  instructions  deserves  to 
be  mentioned.  In  case  any  savage  tribes  should  be 
discovered,  who  had  not  been  acquainted  with  civil- 
ized people,  it  was  positively  ordered,  that  they 


I 


^i. 


ji,.4^iJrt  .-.-..-. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


269 


should  be  treated  with  kindness,  and  that  the  best 
means  should  be  used  to  conciliate  their  good  opin- 
ion. They  were  never  to  be  approached  in  a  hostile 
way,  unless  such  a  step  should  appear  absolutely 
necessary  for  self-defence.  On  this  point  the  in- 
structions are  as  full  and  definite  as  on  others,  and 
breathe  a  spirit  of  humanity,  which,  if  it  had  been 
uniformly  felt  and  acted  upon  by  discoverers,  would 
have  prevented  innumerable  scenes  of  bloodshed  and 
misery,  which  have  marked  the  earl  intercourse 
between  civilized  and  savage  men. 

Captain  Billings  was  allowed  to  select'  his  own 
ofiicers  and  privates,  and,  as  an  encouragement  to 
all  the  persons  engaged,  much  higher  pay  was  grant- 
ed, than  was  usual  in  the  regular  service,  with  the 
promise  of  additional  rewards.  The  officers  were 
to  be  promoted  as  the  enterprise  advanced,  and  par- 
ticularly at  its  conclusion.  The  governor  general  of 
Irkutsk  was  ordered  to  render  all  needful  assistance, 
and  unite  his  best  efforts  with  those  of  the  com- 
mander to  execute  the  designs  of  the  Empress. 
No  expedition  was  ever  more  hberally  provided,  and 
none  ever  commenced  under  better  auspices. 

When  Ledyard  met  Billings  at  Yakutsk,  he  had 
been  more  than  two  years  absent  from  Petersburg, 
and  had  spent  the  preceding  season  :■'  'he  mouth  of 
the  river  Kolyma,  attempting  to  pass  ti.ong  the  coast 
in  boats  constructed  for  the  purpo:>e.  The  ice 
threatened  him,  and  he  accomplished  nothing, 
though  his  lieutenant  was  extremely  desirous  to  push 
forward,  at  a  time  when,  to  all  but  the  commander, 
there  seemed  a  prospect  of  success.  He  had  now 
returned,  with  the  intention  of  going  to  Irkutsk, 
and  there  superintending  the  transportation  of  vari- 
ous articles  to  Okotsk,  where  they  were  wanted  for 


M 


*¥^.. 


;ii 


i 


1  \ 


•; 


I! 


i  ■  ,i 


tf 


'■J 


m 


L' ■  1 


\ 


f 


„^.-. 


260 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


preparing  the  vessels,  in  which  he  expected  to  make 
a  voyage  to  the  American  coast  in  the  following 
gummer.  This  was  the  opportunity,  which  Ledyard 
hoped  to  embrace  for  securing  his  passage  from  one 
continent  to  the  other,  '       ' 


Ftf 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


261 


(".k     .■/: 


CHAPTER  XII. 


.'.t.     V    -/».U',' 


■^.. 


Ledyard  departs  from  Yakutsk,  and  returns  to  Irkutsk  up  the  Lena 
on  the  ice. — Is  seized  by  order  of  the  Empress,  and  hurried  off 
in  the  charge  of  two  guards. — Returns  through  Sibtrja  to  Kazan. 
His  remarks  on  the  peculiarity  of  his  fate. — Further  observations 
on  the  Tartars. — No  good  account  of  them  has  ever  been  writ- 
ten,— Passes  Moscow  and  arrives  in  Poland. — Left  by  his 
guards,  with  an  injunction  never  to  appear  again  ir  Russia. — 
Health  much  impaired  by  his  sufferings. — Proceeds  to  Konigs- 
berg,  and  thence  to  London. — Inquiry  into  the  motives  of  the 
Empress  for  her  cruel  treatment  of  him. — Her  pretences  of 
humanity  not  to  be  credited. — Her  declaration  to  Count  Segur 
on  the  subject. — Dr  Clarke's  explanation  incorrect. — The  true 
cause  was  the  jealousy  of  the  Russian  American  Fur  Company, 
by  whose  influence  his  recall  was  procured  from  the  Empress. — 
Lafayette's  remark  on  her  conduct  in  this  particular. 

That  we  may  not  anticipate  events,  we  will  again 
take  up  our  traveller  in  Yakutsk,  where  we  left  him 
with  Captain  Billings,  then  just  returned  from  the 
Kolyma,  near  the  end  of  November.  Here  they 
lived  together  about  five  weeks.  Meantime  Billings 
was  making  preparation  for  his  journey  to  Irkutsk, 
and  invited  Ledyard  to  accompany  him  thither. 
This  invitation  he  readily  accepted,  since  it  was  im- 
possible for  him  to  proceed  to  Okotsk  before  spring ; 
nor  indeed  would  any  object  be  gained  by  such  a 
journey,  till  Captain  Billings  himself  should  return  to 
that  place,  and  his  vessels  be  got  in  readiness,  for  no 
chance  of  a  passage  was  likely  to  offer  at  an  earlier 
date.  Accordingly  he  joined  Captain  Billings's 
party,  which  left  Yakutsk  on  the  twenty-ninth  of 
December,  and  travelled  in  sledges  up  the  river  Lena 
on  the  ice.  With  such  speed  did  they  move  forward 
by  this  mode  of  conveyance,  that  they  reached  Ir- 
kutsk in  seventeen  days,  having  passed  over  a  dis- 
tance of  fifteen  hundred  miles.     Ledyard's  voyage 


T  ?(»•;•!■»»,- 


k- 


262 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


,    •  I 


p. 


down  the  river  in  a  canoe  had  taken  up  twenty-two 
days. 

Nothing  is  found  recorded  in  his  journal,  during 
this  second  visit  to  rkutsk.  In  Sauer's  account  of 
Billings's  expedition,  the  fate  which  overtook  him 
there  is  made  known  to  us,  and  the  manner  in  which 
he  submitted  to  it. 

"  In  the  evening  of  the  twenty-fourth  of  Febru- 
ary," says  Sauer,  "while  I  was  playing  at  cards 
with  the  brigadier  and  some  company  of  his,  a 
secretary  belonging  to  one  of  the  courts  of  justice 
came  in,  and  told  us  with  great  concern,  that  the 
governor  general  had  received  positive  orders  from 
the  Empress,  immediately  to  send  one  of  the  expe- 
dition, an  Englishman,  under  guard  to  the  private 
Inquisition  at  Moscow,  but  that  he  did  not  know  the 
name  of  the  person,  and  that  Captain  Billings  was 
with  a  private  party  at  the  governor  geiiarai's.  Now, 
as  Ledyard  and  I  were  the  only  Englishmen  here, 
I  could  not  help  smiling  at  the  news,  when  two 
hussars  came  into  the  room,  and  told  me,  that  the 
commandant  wished  to  speak  to  me  immediately. 
The  consternation  into  which  the  visiters  were 
thrown  is  not  to  be  described.  I  assured  them,  that 
it  must  be  a  mistake,  and  went  with  the  guards  to 
the  commandant. 

"  There  I  found  Mr  Ledyard  under  arrest.  He 
told  me,  that  he  had  sent  to  Captain  Billings,  but  he 
would  not  come  to  him.  He  then  began  to  explain 
his  situation,  and  said  he  was  taken  up  as  a  French 
spy,  whereas  Captain  Billings  could  prove  the  con- 
trary, but  he  supposed  that  he  knew  nothing  of  the 
matter,  and  requested  that  I  would  inform  him.  I 
did  so,  but  the  Captain  assured  me,  that  it  was  an 
absolute  order  from  the  !  mpress,  and  that  he  could 


■M 


..««JKi : 


isij-^^'^^m--^%^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


263 


not  help  him.  He,  however,  sent  him  a  few 
roubles,  and  gave  him  a  pelisse;  and  I  procured 
him  his  linen  quite  wet  from  the  wash-tub.  Ledyard 
took  a  friendly  leave  of  me,  desired  his  remem- 
brance to  his  friends,  and  with  astonishing  compo- 
sure leaped  into  the  kibitka,  and  drove  off,  with  two 
guards,  one  on  each  side.  1  wished  to  travel  with 
him  a  little  way,  but  was  not  permitted.  I  there- 
fore returned  to  my  company,  and  explained  the 
matter  to  them ;  but  though  this  eased  their  minds 
with  regard  to  my  fate,  it  did  not  restore  their  har- 


'j* 


mony 

One  word  more  only  needs  be  added  respecting 
Billings.  He  went  to  Okotsk  in  the  summer,  made 
a  voyage  to  the  Aleutian  Islands,  and  thence  to  Ber- 
ing's Strait.  From  the  bay  of  St  Lawrence  he 
passed  across  the  Tchuktchi  country  to  the  river 
Kolyma  by  land,  whence  he  proceeded  to  Yakutsk, 
and  at  length  returned  to  Petersburg,  after  an  ab- 
sence of  seven  or  eight  years.  No  evidence  exists, 
that  his  labors  were  of  any  service  to  Russia  or  to 
the  world,  either  in  the  field  of  discovery,  or  the  de- 
partments of  science.  Sauer's  book  has  made  his 
incompetency  notorious.  The  misfortune  was,  that 
this  should  have  been  found  out  so  late.  Captain 
Burney,  who  was  well  acquainted  with  Billings  while 
on  Cook's  voyage,  observes,  in  alluding  to  Ledyard's 
arrest,  "  If  the  Empress  had  understood  the  char- 
acters of  the  two  men,  the  commander  of  the  ex- 
pedition would  probably  have  been  ordered  to 
Moscow,  and  Ledyard,  instead  of  being  denied  en- 


•  See  Sauer's  Account  of  a  ureosrapbical  and  Astronomical  Ex- 
pedition to  the  Northern  Parts  of  Russia,  &c.  p.  100. 


mk&i%m;immii^^^ 


I  if  ' 

\i      ) 


264 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


*i. 


tertainment  in  her  service,  have  been  appointed  to 
supply  his  place."  * 

B^'ng  now  a  prisoner,  Ledyard  wds  under  the 
entire  control  of  his  two  guards,  who  conducted  him, 
with  all  the  speed  with  which  horses  and  sledges 
could  convey  theni,  towards  Moscow,  exposed  to 
the  extreme  rigors  of  a  Siberian  winter,  in  such  a 
situation,  it  cannot  be  presumed,  that  he  would  have 
either  the  heart  or  leisure  to  write  in  his  journal.  A 
few  particulars  only  are  recorded,  and  to  these  a 
place  will  now  be  given.  Dates  are  rarely  noted. 
The  following  was  apparently  written  soon  after  he 
left  Irkutsk. 

"  My  ardent  hopes  are  once  more  blasted, — the 
almost  half  accomplished  wish.  What  secret  machi- 
nations have  been  at  work  ?  What  motive  ?  But  so 
it  suits  her  royal  Majesty  of  all  the  Russias,  and 
she  has  nothing  but  her  pleasure  to  consult ;  she  has 
no  nation's  resentment,  to  apprehend,  for  I  am  the 
minister  of  no  state,  no  monarch.  I  travel  under 
tlie  common  flag  of  humanity,  commissioned  by  my- 
self to  serve  the  world  at  large ;  and  so  the  poor, 
the  unprotected  wanderer  must  go  where  sovereign 
will  ordains ;  if  to  death,  why  then  my  journeying 
will  be  over  sooner,  and  rather  differently  from  what 
I  contemplated ;  if  otherwise,  why  then  the  royal 
dame  has  taken  me  much  out  of  my  ^vay.  liut  I 
may  pursue  another  route.  The  rest  of  the  world 
lies  uninterdicted.  Though  born  in  the  freest  of  the 
civilized  countries,  yet,  in  the  present  state  of  priva- 
tion, I  have  a  more  exquisite  sense  of  the  amiable, 
the  immortal  nature  of  liberty,  than  I  ever  had  be- 

•  Bumey's  Chronological  History  of  the  Northeastern  Voyages 
of  Discovery,    p.  279. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


265 


appointed  to 

ras  under  the 
3nducted  him, 
a  and  sledges 
V,  exposed  to 
sr.  ill  such  a 
le  vvouid  have 
is  journal.  A 
nd  to  these  a 

rarely  noted. 

soon  after  he 

blasted, — the 

secret  rnachi- 

itive  ?    But  so 

Russias,  and 

isult ;  she  has 

,  for  I  am  the 

'.  travel  under 

iioned  by  my- 

so  the  poor, 

ere  sovereign 

ly  journeying 

tly  from  what 

en  the  royal 

way.     But  I 

of  the  world 

freest  of  the 

tate  of  priva- 

the  amiable, 

ver  had  be- 


Bastern  Voyages 


fore.  It  would  be  excellently  qualifying,  if  every 
man  who  is  called  to  preside  over  the  liberties  of  a 
people,  should  once — it  would  be  enough — actually 
be  deprived  of  his  Hberty  unjustly.  He  would  be 
avaricious  of  it,  more  than  of  any  other  earthly 
possession.  I  could  love  a  country  and  its  inhabit- 
ants, if  it  were  a  country  of  freedom.  There  are 
two  kinds  of  people  1  could  anathematize,  with  a 
better  weapon  than  St  Peter's  ;  those  who  dare  de- 
prive others  of  their  liberty,  and  those  who  suffer 
others  to  do  it." 

Again  he  writes,  some  days  after  the  above,  hav- 
ing escaped  from  Siberia  ; 

"  I  am  now  at  Kazan  ;  it  is  nine  months  since  I 
left  this  place  on  my  tour  eastward,  and  I  am  nine 
times  more  fully  satisfied,  than  I  was  before,  of  some 
circumstances  mentioned  in  my  diary  in  June  last. 
As  I  was  fond  of  the  subjscts  I  have  been  in  pur- 
suit of,  I  was  apprehensive  that  I  might  have  been 
rash  and  premature  in  some  of  my  opinions,  but  I 
certainly  have  not  been.  I  am  now  fully  convinced, 
that  the  difference  of  color  in  mantis  solely  the  ef- 
fect of  natural  causes,  and  that  a  mixture  by  inter- 
marriage and  habits  would  in  time  make  the  species 
in  this  respect  uniform.  I  have  never  extended  my 
opinion,  and  do  not  now,  to  the  Negroes  ;  but  should 
I  live  to  visit  them,  I  shall  expect  to  find  the  same 
data,  leading  to  the  same  conclusion,  namely,  that 
they  are  like  the  other  two  classes  of  man,  which 
I  call  by  the  general  terms  of  white  people  and  /n- 
dians.  There  are  many  reasons,  that  rise  naturally 
from  the  observations  on  my  present  voyage,  which 
induce  me  to  think  so,  yet  I  still  wish  to  have  better. 
I  expect,  however,  the  result  will  be,  that  I  shall  find 
the  same  causes  existing  in  Africa  to  render  the 
23 


^i 


.t. 


I 


..awA 


H- 


i-£\uU^tt  - 'ithi   *.',    V 


•  i-^i 


t     *■ 


hi ' 


«6G 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


T 


»      I 


I  i  ^  ^ 


?  /  ( 


Negro  blacker  than  the  Indian,  as  in  Asia  to  rendfcv 
the  Indian  darker  than  the  European. 

"  With  respect  to  the  national,  or  genealogical 
cOii  cxion,  which  the  remarkable  affinity  of  person 
ami  manners  bespeaks  between  tl-  Indians  on  this, 
and  on  the  American  continent,  i  declare  my  opin- 
ion to  be,  without  t)ie  least  scruple,  and  with  the 
most  absolute  conviction,  that  the  Indians  on  the  one 
and  on  the  other  are  the  same  people.  As  to  the 
origin  and  history  of  the  p;reat  Tartar  JSfation,  little 
has  been  essayed ;  very  little  is  known  even  of  the 
extent  of  their  own  country.  Albugassi,  himself  a 
noble  Tartar,  has  said  much  the  most  and  best  of 
their  origin,  mv  sometliing  of  their  extent ;  but  very 
unsatisfactorii)  as  to  this  latter,  for  in  truth  he  knew 
but  little  about  it.  Like  a  soldier,  he  has  written  a 
kind  of  muster-roll  of  his  countrymen.  I  do  not 
remember  any  thing  like  philosophical  research 
in  his  history,  though  I  read  him  with  avidity. 
Among  the  voyagers  in  this  country,  even  the  most 
modern,  I  have,  instead  of  more,  still  less  informa- 
tion. A  few  vocabularies  to  lead  astray  those,  who 
vv  luld  wish  to  find  real  knowledge,  and  an  account 
of  a  few  customs,  without  any  remarks  on  them, 
constitute  nearly  the  amount  of  the  whole.  There 
h,  indeed,  very  fittle  of  value  said  about  this  great 
people  by  any  writers.  The  late  contest  about  the 
contiguity,  or  junction,  of  Asia  and  America,  has 
accidentally  struck  out  a  few  observations,  and  one 
now  and  then  finds  something  philosophically  said 
of  them,  but  very  unphilosophically  placed  among 
quadrupeds,  fish,  fowls,  plants,  minerals,  and  fossils. 
When  the  history  of  Asia,  and  I  add  of  America, 
because  there  is  an  intimate  connexion  between 
them,  shall  be  as  well  known  as  that  of  Europe,  it 


f 


*....._*.■,',. 


^..iaSW.  t*(... 


•  j.;r-- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


267 


I  to  render 

Bnealogical 

of  person 

,ns  oil  this, 

3  my  opin- 

1  with  the 

on  the  one 

As  to  the 

'ation,  little 

;ven  of  the 

,  himself  a 

nd  best  of 

; ;  but  very 

th  he  knew 

IS  written  a 

I  do  not 

.1   research 

th   avidity. 

n  the  most 

informa- 

those,  who 

an  account 

on  them, 

e.     There 

this  great 

t  about  the 

lerica,  has 

and  one 

lically  said 

:;ed  among 

and  fossils. 

f  America, 

n  between 

Europe,  it 


'M't 


will  be  found,  that  those,  who  have  tvritten  the  histo- 
ry of  man,  have  begun  at  the  wrong  end." 

What  passed  at  the  private  Inquisition  of  Moscow, 
when  Li  liyard  and  his  guards  arrived  in  that  city, 
there  is  no  record  to  explain.  Since  nothing  is  said 
of  tlie  matter,  it  is  probable,  that,  if  he  was  taken 
at  all  before  that  body,  no  specific  charges  were 
substantiated,  or  even  preferred,  as  in  truth  none 
could  exist.  The  idea  of  a  Freiirh  spy  in  Siberia 
was  an  absurdity  too  L,ross,  to  be  t'ormally  urged  as 
a  reason  for  his  arrest,  althc  had  been  given 

out  at  Irkutsk.     What  was  'beria,  either 

for  a  Frenchman,  or  a  nati\       <  -ther  country 

to  spy?  Was  the  Empress  auu  .,  »  at  the  French 
were  plotting  a  crusade  into  those  liozen  and  sterile 
regions,  to  rescue  her  miserable  exiles,  who  were 
suffering  there  the  penalties  of  their  crimes,  or  the 
effects  of  imperial  indignation  for  their  projects  of 
ambition  and  aggrandizement  in  Petersburg  ?  It  was 
not  likely  that  France,  or  any  other  nation,  would 
covet  the  control  of  such  subjects,  or  of  such  a 
land.  This  pretence  of  a  French  spy  originated  at 
Irkutsk,  where  it  was  convenient  that  some  false  re- 
port should  be  circulated  respecting  the  cause  of  his 
arrest,  as  will  shortly  be  made  manifest.  Ledyard 
again  writes, 

"  I  am  now  two  hundred  and  twenty  versts  from 
Moscow,  on  the  road  to  Poland.  Thank  Heaven, 
petticoats  appear,  and  the  glimmerings  of  other  fea- 
tures. Women  are  the  sure  harbingers  of  an  altera- 
tion in  manners,  in  approaching  a  country  where 
their  influence  is  felt.  But  wampum,  or,  if  you  will, 
beads,  tassels,  rings,  fringes,  and  eastern  gewgaws, 
prevail  as  much  here  as  in  Siberia. 

"  I  am  at  the  city  of  Neeshna,  in  a  vile,  dark. 


f 


,V  ^-v. 


IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


1.0 


I.I 


11.25 


itiUa   |2.5 

■50   ™^"     H^H 

■^  1^    12.2 

i  >^  11^ 
U_  11.6 


III 


Photographic 

Sciences 

Corporation 


23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

WEBSTER,  N.Y.  14S80 

(716)  872-4503 


fc 


MM 


268 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


dirty,  gloomy,  damp  room;   it  is  called  quarters, 
but  it  is  a  miserable  prison.     The  soldiers,  who 
guard  me,  are  doubly  watchful  over  me  when  in  a 
town,  though  at  no  time  properly  so,  through  their 
consummate  indolence  and  ignorance.     Every  day 
I  have  it  in  my  power  to  escape  them,  but,  though 
treated  like  a  Afelon,  I  will  not  appear  like  one  by 
flight.     I  was  very  ill  yesterday  ;  I  am  emaciated  ; 
it  is  more  than  twenty  days  since  I  have  eat  any- 
thing, that  may  be  called  food,  and  during  that  time 
have  been  dragged  alonp"  from  day  to  day  in  some 
wretched  open  kibitka.     Thus  am  I  treated  in  all 
respects  (except  that  I  am  obliged  to  support  myself 
with  my  own  money)  like  a  convict,  and  presented 
by  my  snuff-box  of  a  sergeant  as  a  raree-show,  at 
every  town  through  which  we  pass.     Were  I  charg- 
ed, or  chargeable,  with  any  injury  done  or  thought 
of,  either  to  this  or  any  other  country,  it  might  not 
m^ke  me  contented,  indeed,  yet,  I  suppose,  it  would 
make  me  resigned.     But  to  be  arrested  in  my  trav- 
els at  the  last  stage  but  one,  in  those  dominvems 
where  the  severe  laws  of  the  climate  unhappily  de- 
tained me,  which,  however,  I  should  have  braved, 
had  it  not  been  for  the  restraining  courtesy  of  the 
commandant  at  Yakutsk ;  to  be  seized,  imprisoned, 
and   transported  in   this  dark  and   silent  manner, 
without  cause,  or  accusation,  except  what  appears 
in  the  mysterious  wisdom  depicted  in  the  face  of 
my  sergeant,  and  of  course  without  even  a  guess 
as  to  my  destination ;  treated,  in  short,  like  a  sub- 
ject of — this  country ; — under  such  circumstances, 
resignation  would  be  a  crime  against  my  dear  native 
land."  ■  ?'Affv  ,./'*.ivff  r^'-^-i  ^'^ 

Here  the  Siberian  journal  abruptly  comes  to  a 
close,  and  little  is  known  of  what  befell  him  on  his 


•t/"- 


h^W;,,,A,„ ^  j-^"--. 


'V'';**^?'*,***.,  !*•!■■ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTARD. 


%m 


way  lo  England,  from  the  frontiers  of  Poland.  In 
a  letter  to  a  friend  written  after  his  arrival  in  London, 
he  touches  again  upon  the  subject,  and  adds  a  few 
particulars,  which  may  with  propriety  be  inserted  in 
the  present  connexion, 

r  "  I  had  penetrated,"  he  says,  "  through  Europe 
and  Asia,  almost, to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  but,  in  the  ( / 
midst  of  my  career,  was  arrested  a  prisoner  to  the' 
Empress  of  Russia,  by  an  express  sent  after  me  for 
that  purpose.  I  passed  under  a  guard  part  of  last 
winter  and  spring ;  was  banished  the  empire,  and 
conveyed  to  the  frontiers  of  Poland,  six  thousand 
versts  from  the  place  where  I  was  arrested,  and  this 
journey  was  performed  in  six  weeks.  Cruelties  and 
hardships  are  tales  I  leave  untold.  I  was  disappoint- 
ed in  the  pursuit  of  an  object,  on  which  my  future 
fortune  entirely  depended.  I  know  not  how  I  pass- 
ed through  the  kingdoms  of  Poland  and  Prussia,  or 
from  thence  to  London,  where  I  arrived  in  the  be- 
ginning of  May,  disappointed,  ragged,  penniless ; 
and  yet  so  accustomed  am  I  to  such  things,  that  I 
declare  my  heart  was  whole.  My  health  for  the  first 
time  had  suffered  from  my  confinement,  and  the 
amazing  rapidity  with  which  I  had  been  carried 
through  the  illimitable  wilds  of  Tartary  and  Russia. 
But  my  liberty  regained,  and  a  few  days'  rest  among 
the  beautiful  daughters  of  Israel  in  Poland,  reestab- 
lished it,  and  I  am  now  in  as  full  bloom  and  vigor, 
as  thirty-seven  years  will  afford  any  man.  Jarvis 
says  I  look  much  older  than  when  he  saw  me  tliree 
summers  ago  at  Paris,  which  I  can  readily  believe. 
An  American  face  does  not  wear  well,  hke  an  Ameri- 
can heart." 

^  When  the  soldiers,  who  were  his  guards,  had  ar- 
rived with  him  in  Poland,  they  gave  him  to  under- 
23* 


#  '■■ 


5*.  ' 


*^ 


>$ 


•■.■»S»  i\ ■'■'._,  " 


M 


270 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


Vt 


Stand  tliat  lie  might  go  where  he  pleased,  but  if  he 
returned  again  to  the  dominions  of  the  Empress,  he 
would  certainly  be  hanged.  Having  no  longer  any 
motive  for  making  such  an  experiment,  he  took  the 
shortest  route  to  Konigsberg.  Here  he  was  in  a 
destitute  situation,  without  friends  or  means,  his 
hopes  blasted,  and  his  health  enfeebled.  In  this 
state  of  despondency  and  suffering,  he  bethought 
himself  again  of  the  benevolence  of  Sir  Joseph 
Banks,  which  had  on  more  occasions  than  one  ad- 
ministered relief  to  him,  and  served  as  a  balm  to  his 
wounded  spirit.  He  was  lucky  enough  to  dispose 
of  a  draft  for  five  guineas  on  his  old  benefactor,  and 
by  this  expedient  was  enabled  to  pursue  his  journey 
to  London,  where  he  arrived  after  an  absence  of 
one  year  and  five  months,  and  where  he  was  re- 
ceived with  much  cordiality  by  Sir  Joseph  Banks 
and  his  other  friends.  .-  ui;i«i^>iss^-;> 

It  remains  to  inquire  a  little  further  into  the  rea- 
sons, which  induced  the  Empress  to  recall  him  by  a 
mandate  so  positive,  Rfter  she  had  given  him  a  r6yal 
passport  for  proceeding  unmolested  to  Kamtschat- 
ka.  Various  conjectures,  as  to  her  motives,  have 
existed,  but  the  tale  of  the  French  spy  has  been  the 
one  most  generally  received,  probably  because  it  was 
credited  by  Sauer,  who  was  on  '  "  spot  at  the 
time  he  was  seized.  On  that  topic  jgh  has  been 
said. 

mm  The  avowed  pretence  of  the  Empress  has  been 
ascertained,  from  the  authority  of  Count  Segur,  who 
was  then,  as  heretofore  stated,  ambassador  from 
France  to  the  court  of  Petersburg,  and  was  instru- 
mental in  procuring  Ledyard's  passport.  In  August, 
1823,  he  wrote  the  following  note  to  Lafayette,  ia 
reply  to  an  inquiry  on  the  subject.  ^ 


,.■'1. 


^-.y^^^aimittni^wfcp-t  _ 


-/  '. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


271 


s  "  I  have  no  longer  any  letters  in  my  possession," 
says  Count  Segur,  "  relative  to  the  celebrated  trav- 
eller, Mr  Ledyard.  I  remember  only  that  in  comr 
pliance  with  your  request,  I  furnished  him  with  the 
best  recommendations  at  the  court  of  Russia.  He 
wap  at  first  very  well  received ;  but  the  Empress,  who 
spoke  to  me  on  the  subject  herself,  observed  that 
she  would  not  render  herself  guilty  of  the  death  of 
this  courageous  American,  by  furthering  a  journey 
so  fraught  with  danger,  as  that  he  proposed  to  un- 
dertake alone,  across  the  unknown  and  savage  re- 
gions of  Northwestern  America.  She  consequently 
issued  her  prohibition.  Possibly  this  pretext  of  hu- 
manity, advanced  by  Catherine,  only  disguised  her 
unwillingness  to  have  the  new  possessions  of  Russia, 
on  the  western  coast  of  America,  seen  by  an  en- 
lightened citizen  of  the  United  States.  The  above, 
however,  were  the  reasons  she  advanced  to  me."  : 
Few  will  doubt,  probably,  that  the  closing  con- 
jecture of  Count  Segur  is  much  more  plausible, 
than  the  alleged  humanity  of  the  Empress.  It  is 
clothing  this  virtue  in  the  royal  breast  with  an  air  a 
little  too  romantic,  to  suppose  that  she  was  prompted 
by  such  a  motive  to  send  an  express  four  thousand 
miles,  with  an  order  to  arrest  and  preserve  from  his 
own  temerity  and  self-devotedness  an  individual,  in 
whose  personal  safety  she  could  not  possibly  feel 
any  other  interest,  than  what  the  sovereign  of  all  the 
Russias  would  naturally  extend  to  the  whole  human 
family.'  And,  moreover,  this  plea  of  humanity 
sounds  strangely  enough,  when  contrasted  with  the 
barbarous  manner,  in  which  Ledyard  was  transportr 
€d  across  the  frightful  deserts  of  her  Imperial  M** 
jesty's  domains.  Such  evidences  of  tenderhearted- 
ness he  would  very  gladly  have  dispensed  w^,  and 


h. 


.V"-'  ' 


273 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


, 


fe;  1 


m 


taken  in  exchange  for  them  any  treatment  he  might; 
receive  from  the  savages  of  Northwestern  America* 
This  pretence  of  humanity,  therefore,  has  no  better 
foundation  than  the  story  of  the  French  spy. 

Another  explanation  is  afforded  in  Dr  Clarke's 
Travels  in  Russia,  who  had  the  account  from  Profes- 
sor Pallas  himself.  After  relating  an  anecdote,  re- 
specting the  manner  in  which  Billings  obtained  his 
appointment,  Dr  Clarke  adds ; 

"  That  the  expedition  might  have  been  confided  to 
better  hands,  the  public  have  been  since  informed  by 
the  secretary  Sauer.  This,  Professor  Pallas  lament- 
ed to  have  discovered,  when  it  was  too  late.  But 
the  loss  sustained  by  any  incapacity  in  the  persons 
employed  to  conduct  the  expedition,  is  not  equal  to 
that  which  the  public  suffered  by  the  sudden  recall 
of  the  unfortunate  Ledyard.  This,  it  is  said,  would 
never  have  happened,  but  through  the  jealousy  of  his 
own  countrymen,  whom  he  chanced  to  encounter  as 
he  was  upon  the  point  of  quitting  the  eastern  conti- 
nent for  America,  and  who  caused  the  information  to 
be  sent  to  Petersburg,  which  occasioned  the  order 
for  his  arrest."  * 

This  account  of  the  affair  labors  under  one  serious> 
difBculty,  which  is,  that  Ledyard  did  not  meet  a 
single  countryman  of  his  own  in  Siberia.  It  could 
only  be  by  a  vague  rumor,  originally  intended  to  de- 
ceive, that  Professor  Pallas  was  led  into  such  a  mis- 
take. As  Billings  and  Sauer  were  Englishmen,  and 
spoke  the  same  language  as  Ledyard,  these  persons 
may  have  been  alluded  to ;  yet  no  proof  exists  of , 
their  hostility  to  him,  or  that  they  could  have  any  rea-^ 
sons  for  thwarting  his  designs^ 


iii ;. 


*  Clarke's  Travels  in  Russia,  Chap.  II. 


■r;v 


L 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


273 


'  Since  all  these  explanations  of  the  matter  are 
fallacious,  we  must  look  for  other  causes,  and  these, 
in  my  opinion,  have  been  partly  anticipated  in  the 
remarks  already  made  on  the  conduct  of  the  com- 
mandant at  Yakutsk.  From  all  the  circumstances, 
which  have  come  to  my  knowledge  in  the  course  of 
this  Investigation,  I  am  convinced,  that  a  plan  was 
concerted  at  Irkutsk  to  send  him  back,  very  soon 
after  his  arrival  in  that  place.  Irkutsk  was  the  resi- 
dence of  the  governor  general  of  all  the  eastern 
parts  of  Siberia,  and  of  the  principal  persons  en- 
gaged in  the  fur  trade  at  the  Aleutian  Islands.  Two 
years  before  this  period,  the  Russian  American 
Company  had  been  formed,  for  the  express  purpose 
of  establishing  a  regular  commercial  intercourse  with 
the  natives  of  the  islands  and  of  the  American 
coast.  Operations  were  already  commenced  by  oc- 
cupying new  posts,  erecting  factories,  building  forti- 
fications to  protect  them,  and  making  other  needful 
provisions  to  secure  a  complete  monopoly  of  the 
trade. 

Now  the  headquarters  of  this  company  were  at 
Irkutsk,  and  it  could  not  have  escaped  the  sagacity 
of  its  conductors,  that  a  foreigner,  visiting  their  sta- 
tions at  the  islands,  would  make  discoveries,  which 
might  be  published  to  their  Jisadvantage,  both  in  re- 
gard to  the  resources  of  traffic,  and  to  the  cruel 
manner  in  which  the  traders  habitually  treated  the 
natives,  in  extorting  from  them  the  fruits  of  their 
severe  and  incessant  labors.  To  obviate  such  a 
consequence,  it  was  necessary  to  cut  short  the  trav- 
eller's career,  before  he  had  penetrated  to  the  east- 
ern shores  of  Asia.  In  effecting  this  point,  some 
management  was  necessary,  as  he  had  a  passport 
from  the  Empress,  with  a  positive  order  to  the  gov- 


'I 


m 


'i    B 


s;,-''' 


'— *-#,^'- 


JI74 


LUB  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


^ 


ernor  general  to  aid  him  on  his  way.  This  order 
could  not  be  countermanded,  nor  the  passport  of  the 
Empress  treated  with  chsrespect,  till  intelligence 
could  be  sent  to  Petersburg,  and  influence  there 
used  with  the  Empress  to  procure  the  annulment  of 
her  grant  of  protection,  and  Ledyard's  immediate 
recall.  Time  was  requisite  to  bring  this  scheme  to 
an  issue,  and  the  first  thing  to  be  done,  in  the  train  of 
manoeuvres,  was  to  throw  obstacles  in  his  path,  and 
retard  his  progress.  This  was  begun  in  good  ear- 
nest at  Irkutsk,  where  he  was  detained  several  days 
longer  than  he  desired,  waiting,  as  he  was  told,  for 
the  post. 

The  manner  in  which  he  was  received  by  the 
commandant  of  Yakutsk  has  already  been  stated. 
The  extraordinary  concern,  Ivhich  the  commandant 
professed  to  feel  for  his  welfare,  the  arguments  he 
used  to  dissuade  him  fiom  going  to  Okotsk  at  that 
inclement  season,  and  his  returning  Jacobi's  letter 
open,  are  all  reasons  for  strong  suspicions.  And 
these  reasons  are  confirmed,  when  it  is  known,  that 
the  journey  to  Okotsk  was  frequently  undertaken  in 
the  winter.  More  than  a  month  after  Ledyard  arri* 
yed  in  Yakutsk,  Captain  Billings  returned  firom  the 
Kolyma,  which  was  at  least  quite  as  difficult  a  jour- 
ney ;  and  the  next  year,  Billings  passed  from  Okotsk 
to  Yakutsk  in  October  and  November,  precisely  the 
same  months  in  which  Ledyard  wished  to  perform 
ike  tour.  These  facts  are  enough  to  prove,  that  the 
commandant's  pretended  concern  for  his  health  and 
comfort  was  only  a  cloak  to  cover  other  designs,  and 
to  render  it  more  than  probable,  that  he  had  secret 
instructions  to  cause  his  delay.  This  point  was 
gained,  and  the  plot  farther  matured  by  inducmg 
hhn  to  go  back  to  Irkutsk  with  BilUngs. 


// 


W 
*«?■ 


•>-?<aM,«*?iK- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDTABD. 


2T6 


Six  months  elapsed  between  the  date  of  hia  first 
leaving  Irkutsk,  on  his  voyage  down  the  Lena,  and 
that  of  his  arrest.  This  afforded  ample  time  to  send 
to  Petersburg,  and  receive  returns,  even  through  the 
common  channel  of  the  post,  or  mail,  which  then 
passed  with  tolerable  regularity  and  expedition  from 
the  Hussian  capital  to  Irkutsk.  Thus  were  all  our 
traveller's  hopes  blasted,  and  all  his  noble  designs  for 
making  new  discoveries  and  benefiting  mankind 
frustrated  by  the  jealousy  and  pitiful  intrigues  of  a 
few  fur  dealers  at  Irkutsk.  The  Empress  was  duped 
by  their  representations,  and  she  deserted  on  this 
occasion  the  judicious  policy,  by  which  she  was  usu- 
ally guided,  in  whatever  pertained  to  the  advance- 
ment Ox  science,  or  the  encouragement  of  enterprise. 
Well  might  Lafayette  say,  as  he  did,  that  "  her 
conduct  in  this  instance  was  very  illiberal  and  nar- 
row-minded, and  that  her  measures  were  particularly 
ungenerous."  The  conclusion  to  which  I  have  thus 
been  led,  in  explaining  an  apparent  enigma  in  Led- 
yard's  Siberian  adventures,  is  mainly  founded,  it  is 
true,  on  circumstantial  evidence  ;  but  this  evidence 
is  so  strong,  that  I  know  not  how  it  can  be  resisted. 


276 


!'•    i 


) 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 


Interview  with  Sir  Joseph  Banlci  in  London. — Engages  to  travel 
in  Africa  under  the  auspices  of  the  African  Association. — Re- 
markable instance  of  decision  of  character. — Letter  to  Dr  Led- 
yard,  containing  miscellaneous  particulars  respecting  his  travels 
and  circumstances. — Description  of  his  Siberian  dresses. — Origin 
"'   and  purposes  of  the  African  Association. — Ancient  and  present 
■    state  01  .\frica. — Benefits  of  discoveries  in  that  continent. — 
I  <  Letter  fiom  Ledyard  to  his  mother. — His  remarks  to  Mr  Beau- 
'     foy  on  his  departure  for  Egypt. — Visits  Mr  Jefferson  and  Lafay- 
f    ett«  in  Paris. — Sails  from  Marseilles  to  Alexandria  in  Egypt. — 
i    Description  of  Alexandria,  in  a  letter  to  Mr  Jefferson. — ^Ariives 
in  Cairo.— Description  of  the  city,  and  of  his  passage  up  the 
*    Nile. 

No  sooner  was  he  arrived  in  London,  than  he 
called  on  his  worthy  patron  and  friend,  Sir  Joseph 
Banks,  to  express  his  gratitude  for  the  many  sub- 
stantial favors  received  from  him.  Sir  Joseph,  after 
questioning  him  with  a  lively  interest  concerning  his 
travels,  and  expressing  sympathy  for  his  past  mis- 
fortunes, inquired  what  were  his  future  intentions. 
Ledyard  frankly  confessed,  that  he  had  nothing  in 
prospect ;  that,  after  having  struggled  against  a  tide 
of  difficulties  to  accomplish  an  object,  which  he  had 
much  at  heart,  but  in  pursuing  which  he  had  been 
baffled  in  every  attempt,  he  felt  himself  at  this  mo- 
ment in  a  state  of  perfect  uncertainty,  as  to  the  step 
next  to  be  taken  ;  time  and  circumstances  would 
decide  his  fortune.  What  followed  will  be  best  re- 
lated in  the  language  of  Mr  Beaufoy,  then  secretary 
of  the  African  Association. 

"  Sir  Joseph  Banks,  who  knew  his  temper,  told 
him,  that  he  believed  he  could  recommend  him  to 
an  adventure  almost  as  perilous  as  the  one  from 
which  he  had  returned  ;  and  then  communicated  to 


i ''. ' 


'm- 


LIFE  OF  JOFN  LEDYARD. 


277 


him  the  wishes  of  the  Association  for  discovering 
the  inland  countries  of  Africa.  Ledyard  replied, 
that  he  had  always  determined  to  traverse  the  Con- 
tinent of  Africa,  as  soon  as  he  had  explored  the 
interior  of  North  America  ;  and  as  Sir  Joseph  had 
offered  him  a  letter  of  introduction,  he  came  directly 
to  the  writer  of  these  Memoirs.  Before  I  had  learnt 
from  the  note  the  name  and  business  of  my  visitor, 
I  was  struck  with  the  manliness  of  his  person,  the 
breadth  of  his  chest,  the  openness  of  his  counte- 
nance, and  the  inquietude  of  his  eye.  I  spread  the  ^ 
map  of  Africa  before  him,  and  tracing  a  line  from 
Cairo  to  Sennar,  and  from  thence  westward  in  the 
latitude  and  supposed  direction  of  the  Niger,  I  told 
him,  that  was  the  route,  by  which  I  was  anxious  that 
Africa  might,  if  possible,  be  explored.  He  said,  he 
should  think  himself  singularly  fortunate  to  be  trust- 
ed with  the  adventure.  I  asked  him  when  he  would 
set  out.  *  To-morrow  morning,'  was  his  answer.  I  , 
told  him  I  was  afraid  that  we  should  not  be  able,  in 
so  short  a  time,  to  prepare  his  instructions,  and  to 
procure  for  him  the  letters  that  were  requisite  ;  but 
that  if  the  Committee  should  approve  of  his  propo- 
sal, all  expedition  should  be  used."  * 

This  interview  affords  one  of  the  most  extraordi- 
nary instances  of  decision  of  character,  which  is  to 
be  found  on  record.  When  we  consider  his  recent 
bitter  experience  of  the  past,  his  labors  and  suffer- 
ings, which  had  been  so  intense  and  so  long  continu- 
ed, that  a  painful  reality  had  more  than  checked  the 
excesses  of  romantic  entbusiasm,  which  might  be 
kindled. in  a  less  disciplined  imagination  ;  and  when 
we  witness  the  promptitude,  with  which  he  is  ready  • 


*  Proceedings  of  the  Afiican  Association,  Vol.  I.  p.  18. 
24  .  - 


4 


,f.  ^ 


N    ■    « 


=*•.< 


i 


IJ 


.e  . 


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w 


If 


378 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


i;-l 


if 


),, 


„./- 


■>% 


"k 


to  encounter  new  perils  in  the  heart  of  Africa,  where 
hardships  of  the  severest  kind  must  inevitably  be 
endured,  and  where  death  would  stare  him  in  the 
face  at  every  stage ;  we  cannot  but  admire  the  su- 
periority of  mind  over  the  accidents  of  human  life, 
the  rapidity  of  combination,  quickness  of  deciinon, 
and  fearlessness  of  consequences,  which  Ledytfrd's 
reply  indicates.  It  was  the  spontaneous  triumph  of 
an  elevated  spirit  over  the  whole  catalogue  of  selfish 
considerations,  wavering  motives,  and  half  subdued 
doubts,  which  would  have  contended  for  days  in  the 
breast  of  most  men,  before  they  would  have  adopt< 
ed  a  firm  resolution  to  jeopard  their  lives,  in  an  un- 
dertaking so  manifestly  beset  with  dangers,  and 
which  in  its  best  aspect  threatened  to  be  a  scene  of 
toils,  privations,  and  endurance.  It  is  needless  to 
say,  that  the  committee  of  the  Association  immedi- 
ately closed  an  agreement  with  a  man,  who  presented 
himself  with  such  a  temper,  and  with  numerons 
other  qualities,  which  fitted  him  in  a  peculiar  man- 
ner for  their  service.  Preparations  for  his  departure 
were  commenced  without  delay. 

While  these  movements  were  going  on,  he  wrote 
a  long  letter  to  Dr  Ledyard.  It  was  composed  at 
different  times,  and  is  without  date.  A  few  extracts 
from  it  will  give  an  insight  into  his  pursuits,  and  ex- 
hibit some  traits  of  his  character  in  a  favorable  light. 

"  I  was  last  evening  in  company  with  Mr  Jarvis  of 
New  York,  whom  I  accidentally  met  in  the  city,  and 
invited  to  my  lodgings.  When  I  was  in  Paris  in 
distress,  he  behaved  very  generously  to  me,  and,  as 
I  do  not  want  money  at  present,  I  had  a  double  sat- 
isfaction in  our  meeting,  being  equally  happy  to  see 
him,  and  to  pay  him  one  hundred  livres,  which  I 
never  exj^icted  to  bje.  «bls  to  do,  and  I  suppose  he 


■] 


W^:" 

^ 


v\ 


■#:•. 


I 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


279 


did  not  think  I  should.  If  he  goes  to  New  York  as 
soon  as  he  mentioned,  I  shall  trouble  him  with  this 
letter  to  you,  and  with  some  others  to  your  address 
for  my  other  friends.  I  wrote  you  last  from  this 
place,  nearly  two  years  ago,  but  I  suppose  you  heard 
from  me  at  Petersburg,  by  Mr  Franklin  of  New 
York.     I  promised  to  write  you  from  the  remote 

i)art8  of  Siberia.  I  promise  every  thing  to  those  I 
ove ;  and  so  does  fortune  to  me  sometimes,  but  we 
reciprocally  prevent  each  other  from  fulfilling  our 
engagements.  She  left  me  so  poor  in  Siberia,  that 
I  could  not  write  you,  because  1  could  not  frank  tlu; 
letter.  You  are  already  acquainted  with  the  intent 
of  the  voyage,  which  I  have  been  two  years  engaged 
in.  The  history  of  it  I  cannot  give  you,  nor  indeed 
the  world.  Parts  of  it  you  would  comprehend,  ap- 
prove, and,  I  believe,  admire  ;  parts  are  incompre- 
hensible, because  not  to  be  described.  1  have  seen 
and  suffered  a  great  deal,  but  I  now  have  my  health 
and  spirits  in  perfection. 

"  By  my  acquaintances  in  London  my  arrival  was 
announced  to  a  society  of  noblemen  and  gentlemen, 
who  had  for  some  time  been  fruitlessly  inquiring  for 
some  person  to  travel  through  the  continent  of  Afri- 
ca. I  was  asked,  and  consented  to  undertake  the 
tour.  The  society  have  appropriated  a  sum  of 
money  to  defray  the  expenses.  1  dine  with  them 
collectively  this  day  week,  finish  the  affair,  and 
within  the  month  shall  be  on  the  move.  My  route 
will  be  from  here  to  Paris,  thence  to  Marseilles, 
across  the  Mediterranean  to  Alexandria  in  Egypt, 
and  then  to  Grand  Cairo.  Beyond  is  unknown,  and 
my  discoveries  begin.  Where  they  will  terminate, 
and  how,  you  shall  know,  if  I  survive.  As  we  have 
now  no  minister  from  the  United  States  in  London, 


~.-iI 


■iS'' 


"■-«    i     ,.-   .^   ♦   4.^   ^-..-t^MJU^^pOf-.V-*-*!*-  ^      *.,^*MW 


■'*.  *!'*••**  &*-^-'  •■  •'*■'■     * 


iV- 


280 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


%: 


'■*' 


f 


■sv;  ■• 


and  as  I  know  of  no  certain  medium  of  conveyance, 
I  cannot  certainly  promise  you  letters  from  Africa. 
I  can  only  say,  that  I  will  write  you  from  Grand 
Cairo,  if  I  can  find  an  opportunity. 

"  Before  I  leave  town  I  intend  to  send  you  some 
Tartar  curiosities,  and,  if  possible,  also,  a  transcript 
of  the  few  rude  remarks  I  made  on  my  last  tour. 
The  hints  I  have  given  respecting  the  history  of 
man,  from  circumstances  and  facts  that  have  come 
within  my  personal  knowledge,  you  will  find  new 
and  interesting.  They  form  data  for  investigation, 
but  they  are  better  in  my  hands  than  in  any  other's, 
because  no  other  person  has  seen  so  much  of  Asia 
and  America.  They  might  amuse  you  in  the  hap- 
py retirement,  vhich  Mr  Jarvis  tells  me  you  enjoy 
on  Long  Island.  My  seeing  this  gentleman  has  been 
almost  as  good  as  a  visit  to  New  York.  Nothing  in 
his  account  of  our  family  and  friends  has  afiected 
me  so  much,  as  the  mercantile  misfortunes  of  your 
worthy  brother.  Surely  the  race  is  not  to  the  swift, 
nor  the  battle  to  the  strong.  Did  the  pyramids  of 
Egypt,  which  I  shall  soon  see,  cover  hearts  as  worthy 
as  his,  I  should  no  more  style  them  monuments  of 
human  imbecility ;  I  should  worship  before  them. 
Mr  Jarvis  has  not  been  able  to  give  me  an  exact  ac- 
count of  his  situation.  He  only  tells  me,  that  he 
has  failed  in  business  and  retired  to  Jersey,  where  I 
think  he  ought  to  stay,  for  the  world  is  absolutely 
unworthy  of  him.  I  do  not  say  this,  because  he  is 
my  cousin,  and  shared  with  you  the  earliest  attach- 
ment of  my  heart.  These  are  things  that  I  feel, 
and  that  the  world  has  nothing  to  do  with,  any  more 
than  it  ought  to  have  with  him.  They  are  compli- 
ments, which  his  enemies  would  make  him,  if  he 
had  any.     I  never  knew  so  much  merit  so  unforti^, 


1  ; 


■-^ 


■\,<..  «>.*,/iJ..i-\-'"'"^'i'>V''**-K,: 


'.ri^',<&M.U'. 


r'A 


r   -I 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


281 


nate.  I  cannot  reflect  on  his  fate  unimpassioned. 
He  should  retire ;  if  barely  comfortable  it  will  be 
enough,  for  he  cannot  go  from  dignity.  My  heart  is 
on  your  side  of  the  Atlantic.  I  know  the  charms 
of  Long  Island,  the  additional  ones  of  your  resi- 
dence there,  and  the  sweet  accordance  of  recubans 
sub  tegmine  fagi.  Do  not  think,  because  I  have 
seen  much  of  the  world,  and  must  see  more,  that  I 
have  forgotten  America.  I  could  as  soon  forget  you, 
myself,  my  God.  '^ 

■  "  My  travels  have  brought  upon  me  a  numerous 
correspondence,  which,  added  to  the  employments 
of  my  new  enterprise,  leaves  me  little  leisure.  I  am 
alone  in  everything,  and  in  most  things  so,  because 
nobody  has  been  accustomed  to  think  and  act  in 
travelling  matters  as  I  do.  I  am  sorry  Mr  Jarvis 
will  go  so  soon.  To-day  lis  Saturday,  and  he  will 
call  on  Tuesday,  to  receive  the  things  for  you,  and 
take  leave  of  me.  My  time  is  wholly  occupied,  and 
it  happens  that  just  at  this  moment  I  am  the  busiest 
with  the  African  Society.  Among  other  things,  I 
wish  to  send  you  a  copy  of  my  Swedish  portrait  at 
Somerset  House.  I  have  one  by  me,  but  it  is  a 
stupid  thing.  It  was  taken  by  a  boy,  who  is  as 
dumb  and  deaf  as  the  portrait  itself.  He  is,  howev- 
er, under  the  patronage  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  the 
English  Raphael.  The  boy  was  sent  lo  me  by  a 
country  squire,  who  accidentally  got  acquainted  with 
me  at  an  inn,  where  I  lodged  in  London,  and  who 
has  taken  a  wonderful  fancy  to  me,  and  begs  to  hang 
me  up  in  his  hall.  This  one  is  still  unfinished,  and 
so  is  the  one  for  the  squire.  They  are  mere  daub- 
ings.  Jarvis  says  our  Trumbull  is  clever,  and  ad- 
vises me  to  get  him  to  copy  the  Swedish  drawing, 
which  is  not  only  a  perfect  Ukeness,  but  a  good 
24* 


H 


■^m^' 


%i 


"im 


t'^ 


.^■m 


1282 


1^ 


\ , 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


painting.  If  I  do  according  to  his  advice,  it  cannot 
be  soon  ;  and,  indeed,  I  should  not  trouble  you,  or 
myself,  about  this  shadow  of  your  friend,  were  I 
sure  of  presenting  him  to  you  hereafter  in  substance. 
I  shall  not  have  time  to  settle  my  aflFairs  before  Jar- 
vis  goes,  if  it  is  to-morrow,  for  to-morrow  I  must  be 
with  the  African  committee.  * 

"  Jarvis  is  this  moment  going.  Adieu. — He  will 
not  take  the  one  hundred  Uvres." 

It  may  be  well  to  add  here,  rather  as  a  matter  of 
curiosity,  than  for  any  other  purpose,  his  description 
of  the  Siberian  articles  of  clothing,  which  he  sent  to 
Dr  Ledyard  by  Mr  Jarvis.  He  was  now  going  to 
a  climate,  where  he  would  have  no  occasion  for  a 
dress,  suited  to  the  winters  of  Siberia. 

"  The  dresses  I  send  you,"  he  writes,  "  are  such 
as  I  have  worn  through  many  a  scene,  and  was  glad 
to  get  them.  The  surtout  coat  is  made  of  reindeer 
skin,  and  edged  with  the  dewlap  of  the  moose. 
Perhaps  you  will  wear  this  yourself  in  winter.  It 
was  made  for  a  riding-coat,  and  I  have  rode  both 
horses  and  deer  with  it.  The  first  cap  is  of  the  Sibe- 
rian red  fox ;  it  is  a  travelling-cap,  and  the  form  is 
entirely  Tartar.  The  second  cap  is  Russian,  con- 
sisting of  white  ermine,  and  bordered  with  blue  fox 
skin ;  it  cost  me  at  Yakutsk  twenty-five  roubles, 
which  is  four  guineas  and  one  rouble.  The  surtout 
coat  cost  seventy  roubles  ;  the  fox  skin  cap,  six  rou- 
bles. The  gloves  are  made  of  the  feet  of  the  fox, 
and  lined  with  the  Tartar  hare,  and  cost  five  roubles. 
The  frock  is  in  form  and  style  truly  Tartar.  It  was 
presented  to  me,  and  came  from  the  borders  of  the 
Frozen  Ocean,  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  Kolyma. 
It  :s  made  of  a  spotted  reindeer  calf;  the  edging  is 
the  same  as  that  on  the  surtout.    You  will  see,  on 


v  >• . 


\r' 


v^ 


*f- 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


283 


the  inside  «  f  i  skin,  a  number  of  spots ;  these  were 
occasioned  b ,  a  small  insect  bred  there  from  the 
eggs  of  a  species  of  fly,  which,  together  with  the 
vast  numbers  of  musquitos,  obliges  this  charming 
animal  to  migrate  annually  north  and  south,  as  the 
seasons  change. 

"  The  boots  are  made  also  of  reindeer  skin,  and 
ornamented  with  European  cloth ;  the  form  is  Tar- 
tar ;  they  cost  eight  roubles.  The  socks  for  the 
boots  are  made  of  the  skin  of  an  old  reindeer.  Tliey 
are  worn  on  the  inside  of  the  boots,  with  the  hair  to 
the  feet,  with  or  without  stockings.  These  were 
presented  to  me,  and  came  from  the  borders  of  the 
Frozen  Ocean.  The  cloak,  which  they  are  wrapped 
up  in,  was  made  in  London.  I  travelled  on  foot 
with  it  in  Denmark,  Sweden,  Lapland,  Finland,  and 
the  Lord  knows  where.  I  have  slept  in  it,  eat  in  it, 
drank  in  it,  fought  in  it,  negotiated  in  it.  Through 
every  scene  it  has  been  my  constant  and  hardy  ser- 
vant, from  my  departure  till  my  return  to  London. 
And  now  to  give  it  an  asylum  (for  I  have  none),  I 
send  it  to  you.  Lay  it  up ;  as  soon  as  I  can,  I  will 
call  and  lay  myself  up  with  it.  I  have  mentioned 
the  prices  of  the  above  articles,  to  give  you  a  notion 
how  dear  fur  dresses  are,  even  in  the  remotest  parts 
of  the  vast  dominions  of  Russia.  These  clothes 
were  not  all  that  I  wore  last  winter ;  I  wore  many 
others,  and  froze  my  nose  and  ears  after  all.  You 
have  no  idea  of  the  excessive  cold  in  those  re- 
gions." ,.  . . .   i  V  ».,-«.. 

The  Society,  in  whose  service  Ledyard  was  now 
engaged,  had  its  origin  with  a  few  individuals  in 
London,  but  the  number  of  its  members  soon  in^ 
creased  to  about  two  hundred,  among  whom  were 
some  of  the  most  eminent  men  in  the  kingdom. 


>.^,-i,Jfe^=s' 


'  «\  \£^ 


V  "f 


t 


*f 


284 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


Their  immediate  object  was  to  promote  discoveries 
in  the  interior  of  Africa,  and  a  fund  was  raised  by  a 
subscription  from  each  member,  for  the  purpose  of 
effecting  that  object.    The  Society  was  denominated 
the  African  Association^  and  was  patronized  by  the 
king.     A  committee  was  to  be  annually  chosen  by 
ballot,  whose  duty  it  was  to  transact  the  affairs  of  the 
Society,  by  taking  charge  of  the  funds,  employing 
persons  to  travel,  collecting  intelligence,  and  keeping 
up  a  correspondence  with  various  parts  of  Africa. 
The  first  committee  appointed,  and  that  with  which 
Ledyard  made  his  arrangements,  consisted  of  Lord 
Rawdon,  the  Bishop  of  Landaff,  Sir  Joseph  Bank?, 
Mr  Beaufoy,  and  Mr   Steuart.     Among  the  other 
members,  who  joined  the  Society  at  the  beginning, 
were  Mr  Addington,  the  Earl  of  Bute,  General 
Conway,  the  Duke  of  Grafton,  Edward  Gibbon, 
John  Hunter,  Dr  Lettsom,  the  Earl  of  Moira,  the 
Duke  of  Northumberland,  Lord   Sheffield,  Benja- 
min Vaughan,  and  Mr  Wilberforce.     An  institution, 
supported  by  names  of  such  weight  and  respecta- 
bility, would  naturally  attract  public  attention,  and 
ensure  all  die  success  of  which  the  nature  of  its  de- 
signs was  susceptible.  ,? 
.:^    For  many  ages  the  continent  of  Africa  had  been 
a  neglected  portion  of  the  globe,  of  which  the  rest 
of  the  world  had  taken  little  account..    The  learn- 
ing, and  splendor,  and  prowess  of  Egypt  were  de- 
parted ;  Carthage,  with  all  its  glory,  had  sunk  into 
the  dust ;  the  proud  monuments  of  Numidian  great- 
ness had  been  blotted  from  the  face  of  the  earth, 
and  almost  from  the  memory  of  man.     The  gloom 
of  this  scene  was  heightened,  not  more  by  the  rava- 
ges of  time  in  destroying  what  had  been,  than  by 
the  contrasts,  which  succeeding  changes  had  prot  \ 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARO. 


285 


duced.  A  seraibarbarous  population,  gathered  from 
the  wrecks  of  fallen  nations,  enemies  f)  the  arts  and  to 
the  best  social  interests  of  man,  had  gradually  spread 
themselves  over  the  whole  of  the  northern  borders 
of  Africa,  and  presented  a  barrier  to  the  hazards  of 
enterprise,  no  less  than  to  the  inroads  of  civilization. 
Whatever  might  be  the  ardor  for  discovery  and  the 
disregard  of  danger,  nobody  cared  to  penetrate  into 
these  regions,  where  all  was  uncertainty,  and  where 
the  chance  of  success  bore  no  proportion  to  the  perils 
that  must  be  encountered. 

There  is  no  question,  that  the  northern  half  of 
Africa  was  better  known  to  the  Romans  in  the  time 
of  Julius  Caesar,  than  to  the  Europeans  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  eighteenth  century.  A  few  scattered 
names  of  rivers,  towns,  and  nations,  occupied  the 
map  of  the  interior,  traced  there  by<  a  hesitating  hand, 
on  the  dubious  authority  of  the  Nubian  geographer, 
Edrissi,  and  the  Spanish  trav^er^  Leo  Africanus. 
The  rhymes  of  Swift  on  this  subject  were  not  more 
witty  than  true. 

"  Geographers,  in  Afric  maps. 
With  savage  pictures  fiU  their  g^s. 
And  o'er  unhabitable  downs  ;^ 

Place  elephants  for  want  of  towns." 

At  the  beginning  of  the  sixteenth  century,  Leo  pene- 
trated as  far  as  Timbj^ctoo  and  the  Niger ;  but  so  im- 
perfect were  his  descriptions  even  of  what  he  saw, 
that  very  little  geographical  knowledge  was  commu- 
nicated by  them.  He  was  on  the  banks  of  the  Ni- 
ger, but  it  could  not  be  ascertained  from  his  account, 
whether  this  river  ran  to  the  east  or  west,  nor  indeed, 
whether  it  existed  as  a  separate  stream.  In  shorty 
down  to  the  time  when  the  African  Association  was 
formed,  ahnost  the  whole  of  this  Vast  continent,  its 


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286 


•0' 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


geography  and  physical  resources,  its  inhabitants, 
governments,  languages,  were  a  desideratum  in  the 
history  of  nature  and  of  man.  It  could  not  be 
doubted,  that  many  millions  of  human  beings  inhab- 
ited these  hidden  regions.  Nor  were  the  character 
and  condition  of  these  people,  their  institutions  and 
social  advancement,  mere  matters  of  curiosity ;  they 
had  a  relation  to  the  people  of  other  parts  of  the 
globe,  and,  when  discovered  and  understood,  might 
be  turned  to  the  common  advantage  of  the  great 
human  family.  There  are  no  nations,  that  may  not 
profit  by  an  intercourse  between  each  other,  either 
by  an  exchange  of  products  peculiar  to  each,  or  by 
a  reciprocal  moral  influence,  or  by  both. 

On  these  broad  and  benevolent  principles  the  So- 
ciety for  promoting  discoveries  in  Africa  was  insti- 
tuted, and  the  scheme  ;|ras  worthy  of  the  enlightened 
philanthropists,  by  whom  it  was  devised.  Ledyard's 
instructions  were  few,  simplej  and  direct.  He  was 
to  repair  first  to  l^gypt,  travel  thence  across  the 
continent,  make  such  observations  as  he  could,  and 
report  the  results  to  the  Associati&h.  Everything 
was  left  to  his  discretion.  His  past  experience,  the 
extraordinary  energy  of  his  character,  his  disinter- 
estedness, and  the  enthusiasm  with  which  he  en- 
gaged in  the  present  undertaking,  were  all  such  as 
to  ensure  the  confidence  of  his  employers,  and  in- 
spire them  with  sanguine  hopes. 

As  for  himself,  at  no  period  of  his  life  had  he  re- 
flected with  so  much  satisfaction  on  his  condition,  or 
his  prospects.  Heretofore  he  had  always  been  alone, 
oppressed  with  poverty,  and  contending  with  an  ad- 
verse fate.  But  now  he  was  free  from  want,  patron- 
ized by  the  first  men  in  Great  Britain,  and  engaged 
9X  their  solicitation,  aid  under  their  auspices,  in  an 


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LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


"*t^  y^  ^  • . 


287 


enterprise,  fraught,  it  is  true,  with  many  clangers, 
but  promising  the  glory  of  which  he  had  bvcr  been 
ambitious,  and  opening  to  him  a  field  of  adventure, 
which  his  imagination  had  pictured  to  him  as  the  first 
to  be  chosen,  after  he  had  discharged  what  he  deem- 
ed a  paramount  duty,  in  exploring  the  unknown  parts 
of  the  continent  to  which  he  owed  his  birth.  When 
he  was  departing  from  London  for  Egypt,  he  may 
be  said  to  have  been,  for  the  first  time  in  his  Hfe,  at 
the  summit  of  his  wishes.  All  previous  cares,  de- 
feats, and  disasters  appear  to  have  been  forgotten, 
or  swallowed  up  in  the  deep  interests  of  the  present, 
and  the  cherished  anticipations  of  the  future.  A 
letter  written  to  his  mother  at  this  time  will  indicate 
the  tone  of  his  spirits. 

"  Truly  is  it  written,  that  the  ways  of  God  are 
past  finding  out,  and  his  deqrees  unsearchable.  Is 
the  Lord  thus  great  ?  So  afib  is  he  good.  I  am  an 
instance  of  it.  I  have  trampled  the  world  under  my 
feet,  laughed  at  fear,  and  derided  danger.  Through 
millions  of  fierce  savages,  over  parching  deserts,  the 
freezing  North,  the  everlasting  ice,  and  stormy  seas, 
have  I  passed  without  harm.  How  good  is  my  God  ! 
What  rich  subjects  have  I  for  praise,  love,  and  ado- 
ration ! 

"  I  am  but  just  returned  to  England  from  my 
travels  of  two  years,  and  am  going  away  into  Africa 
to  examine  that  continent.  I  expect  to  be  absent 
three  years.  I  shall  be  in  Egypt  as  soon  as  I  can 
get  there,  and  after  that  go  into  unknown  parts.  I 
have  full  and  perfect  health.  Remember  me  to  my 
brothers  and  sisters.  Desire  them  to  remember 
me,  for,  if  Heaven  permits,  I  shall  see  them  again. 
I  pray  God  to  bless  and  comfort  you  all.   Farewell." 

At  length  the  preparations  for  his  departure  were 


,*: 


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288 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


completed.  He  had  become  well  acquainted  with 
the  views  of  the  committee  ;  and  a  sufficient  amount 
of  money  had  been  raised,  by  the  subscriptions,  to 
provide  for  the  expenses  of  his  journey  to  Egypt, 
and  to  purchase  such  articles  of  merchandise  a» 
might  be  found  necessary  to  enable  him  to  assume 
the  character  of  a  trader  in  a  caravan  to  the  interior, 
or  for  travelling  in  any  other  manner,  which  he 
should  deem  most  expedient  when  on  the  spot.  The 
last  letter  he  wrote  to  America  was  a  short  one,  da- 
ted at  London,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  June. 

"  1  suppose  that  my  letter  and  curiosities,  sent  by 
Mr  Jarvis,  are  now  halfway  over  the  Atlantic.  Here 
you  have  a  little  portrait,  which  I  leave  to  the  care 
of  his  brother  in  town.  Enclosed  with  it  is  a  poor 
portrait  of  me,  taken  by  the  dumb  boy  mentioned 
in  my  other  letter.  If , it  were  anything  like  paint-, 
ing,  I  would  desire  yo#  to  keep  it.  As  it  is,  I  beg 
you  will  send  it  to  my  mother.  She  will  be  as  fond 
of  it,  as  if  done  by  Guido.  I  would  have  sent  it 
framed,  if  the  opportunity  would  have  permitted. 
To-morrow  morning  I  set  out  for  France.    Adieu." 

Accordingly  he  left  London  on  the  thirtieth  of 
June.  Mr  Beaufoy  speaks  of  the  interview  he  had 
with  him,  just  as  he  was  setting  off,  and  adds  these 
affecting  remarks  as  given  in  Ledyard's  own  words. 

"  *  I  am  accustomed,'  said  he,  in  our  last  con- 
versation, ('twas  on  the  morning  of  his  departure 
for  Africa),  *  I  am  accustomed  to  hardships.  I  have 
known  both  hunger  and  nakedness  to  the  utmost  ex- 
tremity of  human  suffering.  I  have  known  what  it 
is  to  have  food  given  me  as  charity  to  a  madman  ; 
and  I  have  at  times  been  obliged  to  shelter  myself 
under  the  miseries  of  that  character,  to  avoid  a 
heavier  calamity.     My  dist];esses  have  been  greater 


« ii* 


.s>- 


'i' 


'* 


' '  -<>-. 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


289 


than  I  have  ever  owned,  or  ever  will  own  to  any 
man.  Such  evils  are  terrible  to  bear  j  but  they 
never  yet  had  power  to  turn  me  from  my  purpose. 
If  1  live,  I  will  faithfully  perform,  in  its  utmost  ex- 
tent, my  engagement  to  the  society ;  and  if  1  perish 
in  the  attempt,  my  honor  will  still  be  safe,  for  death 
cancels  all.  bonds.' " 

In  Paris  he  met  with  Mr  Jefferson,  Lafayette,  and 
several  others  of  his  old  friends,  whom  he  had  left 
there  three  years  before,  and  towards  whom  he  en- 
tertained sentiments  of  the  warmest  gratitude.  He 
continued  at  Paris  seven  or  eight  days,  and  then  pro- 
ceeded to  Marseilles,  where  he  took  ship  for  Alex- 
andria. From  this  place  he  wrote  to  Mr  Jefferson 
the  following  letter. 

"  As  I  shall  go  to  Cairo  in  a  few  days,  from 
whence  it  may  be  difficult  foy  me  to  write  to  you,  I 

,  do  it  here,  though  unprepared.  I  am  in  good  health 
and  spirits,  and  the  prospects  before  me  are  flattering. 
This  intelligence,  with  my  wishes  for  your  happi- 
ness and  an  eternal  remembrance  of  your  goodness 

,  to  me,  must  form  the  only  part  of  my  letter  of  any 
consequence  ;  except  that  I  desire  to  be  remember- 
ed to  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  his  lady,  Mr  ShQit, 
and  other  friends.     Deducting  the  week  I  stayed  at 

;.  Paris,  and  two  days  at  Marseilles,  I  was  only  thirty- 
four  days  from  Lcindon  to  this  place. 

"  I  am  sorry  to  inform  you,  that  I  regret  having 

,  visited  the  gentleman  you  mentioned,  and  of  having 
made  use  of  your  name.  I  shall  ever  think,  though 
he  was  extremely  polite,  that  he  rather  strove  to 
prevent  ray  embarking  at  Marseilles,  than  to  facili- 
tate it ;  for,  by  bandying  me  about  among  the  mem- 
bers cf  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  he  had  nearly, 
and  very  nearly,  lost  me  my  passage ;  and  in  the 
-''].:       ■     25  ---'■'  - 


i^i^fefe^:  ■  ^M^ 


290 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


J 


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) 


I: 


last  ship  from  Marseilles  for  the  season.  He  knew 
better ;  he  knew  that  the  Chamber  of  Commerce 
had  no  business  with  me ;  and,  besides,  I  only  asked 
him  if  he  could  without  trouble  address  me  to  the 
captain  of  a  ship  bound  to  Alexandria ;  nothing 
more. 

"  Alexandria  at  large   presents  a  scene  more 
I  wretched,  than  I  have  witnessed.     Poverty,  rapine, 
murder,   tumuh,  blind   bigotry,  cruel  persecution, 
pestilence  !    A  small  town  built  on  the  ruins  of  an- 
tiquity, as  remarkable  for  its  miserable  architecture, 
as  I  suppose  the  place  once  was  for  its  good  and 
great  works  of  that  kind.      Pompey's  Pillar  and 
,   Cleopatra's  Obelisk  are  now  almost  the  only  remains 
of  remote  antiquity.     They  are  both,  and  particu- 
larly the  former,  noble  objects  to  contemplate,  and 
.,  ,are  certainly  more  caiptivating  from  the  contrast  of 
.  /  the  deserts  and  forlorn  prospects  around  them.     No 
•  man  of  whatever  'turn  of  mind  can  see  the  whole, 
without  retiring  from  the  scene  with  a  Sic  transit 
gloria  mundiy 

Having  passed  ten  days  only  at  Alexandria,  he 
pursued  his  journey  up  the  Nile  to  Cairo,  where  he 
.  ^rived  on  the  nineteenth  of  August.     Here  again 
"  he  wrote  to  Mr  Jefferson. 

"  I  sent  you  a  short  letter  from  Alexandria.  I 
begin  this  without  knowing  where  I  shall  close  it,  or 
when  I  shall  send  it,  or,  indeed,  whether  I  shall  ever 
send  it.  But  I  will  have  it  ready,  in  case  an  oppor- 
tunity shall  offer.  Having  been  in  Cairo  only  four 
'  days,  I  have  not  seen  much  of  particular  interest  for 
.'  you ;  and,  indeed,  you  will  not  expect  much  of  this 
■  kind  from  me.    My  business  is  in  another  quarter, 

-  and  the  information  I  seek  totally  new.     Anything 

-  from  this  place  would  not  be  so. 


i 


.•!--*■ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


291 


"  At  all  events  I  shall  never  want  a  subject,  when 
it  is  to  you  I  write.  I  shall  never  tliink  my  letter 
an  indifferent  one,  when  it  contains  the  declaration 
of  my  gratitude  and  my  affection  for  you  ;  and  this, 
Notwithstanding  you  thought  hard  oi  me  for  being 
employed  by  an  English  Association,  which  hurt  me 
much  while  I  was  at  Paris.  You  know  your  own 
heart,  and  if  my  suspicions  are  groundless,  forgive 
them,  since  they  proceed  from  the  jealousy  I  have, 
not  to  lose  the  regard  you  have  in  times  past  been 
pleased  to  honor  me  with.  You  are  not  obliged  to 
esteem  me,  but  I  am  obliged  to  esteem  you,  or  to 
take  leave  of  my  senses,  and  confront  the  opinions 
of  the  greatest  and  best  characters  I  know.  If  I 
cannot,  therefore,  address  myself  to  you  as  a  man 
you  regard,  I  must  do  it  as  one  that  regards  you  for 
your  own  sake,  and  for  the  sake  of  my  country, 
which  has  set  me  the  example. 

"  I  made  my  tour  from  Alexandria  by  water,  and 
entered  the  Nile  by  the  western  branch  of  the 
mouths  of  the  river.  I  was  five  days  coming  to 
Cairo,  but  this  passage  is  generally  made  in  four, 
and  sometimes  in  three  days.  You  have  heard  and 
read  much  of  the  Nile,  and  so  had  I,  but  when  I 
saw  it,  I  could  not  conceive  it  to  be  the  same.  What 
eyes  do  travellers  see  with  ?  Are  they  fools  or 
rogues  ?  For  Heaven's  sake,  hear  the  plain  truth 
about  it.  First,  in  regard  to  its  size.  Obvious  com- 
parisons in  such  cases  are  good.  Do  you  know  the 
river  Connecticut  ?  Of  all  the  rivers  I  have  seen,  it 
most  resembles  that  in  size.  It  is  a  little  wider,  and 
may  on  that  account  better  compare  with  the  Thames. 
This  is  the  mighty,  the  sovereign  of  rivers,  the  vast 
Nile,  that  has  been  metamorphosed  into  one  of  the 
wonders  of  the  world.     Let  me  be  careful  how  I 


''v^j^K.>^'Vt.,),,i.'^V.J('^^*«-«.M_A^.J^  ^    y«k^  ♦^.i***  ♦   *  ,.1  .'.  ,A  ■'*'•  »   *»,  4  *''\,  J^*«-Ai  ..»kj>»  ■ 


\\ 


V  i> 


292 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


i 


read,  and  above  all  how  I  read  ancient  history. 
You  have  heard  and  rend,  too,  much  of  its  inunda- 
tions. If  the  thousands  of  large  and  small  canals 
from  it,  and  the  thousands  of  men  and  machines 
employed  to  transfer  by  artificial  means  the  water  of 
the  Nile  to  the  meadows  on  its  banks,  if  this  be  the 
inundation  that  is  meant,  it  is  true  ;  any  other  is  false. 
It  is  not  an  inundating  river.  1  came  up  the  river 
from  the  fifteenth  to  the  twentieth  of  August,  and 
about  the  thirtieth  the  water  will  be  at  the  height 
of  the  freshet.  When  1  left  the  river,  its  banks 
were  four,  five,  and  six  feet,  above  the  water,  and 
here  in  town  1  am  told  they  expect  the  Nile  to  be 
only  one  or  two  feet  higher  at  the  most.  This  is  a 
proof,  if  any  were  wanted,  that  the  river  does  not 
overflow  its  banks. 

"  I  saw  the  pyramids  as  I  passed  up  the  river,  but 
they  were  four  or  five  leagues  oft.  It  is  warm 
weather  here  at  present,  and  were  it  not  for  the  north 
winds,  that  cool  themselves  in  their  passage  over  the 
Mediterranean,  and  blow  upon  us,  we  should  be  in 
a  sad  situation.  As  it  is,  I  think  I  have  felt  it  hotter 
at  Philadelphia  in  the  same  month.  The  city  of 
Cairo  is  about  half  «i.  large  in  size  as  Paris,  and  is 
said  to  contain  seven  hundred  thousand  inhabitants. 
You  will  therefore  anticipate  the  fact  of  its  narrow 
streets  and  high  houses.  In  this  number  are  con- 
tained one  hundred  thousand  Copts,  or  descendants 
of  the  ancient  Egyptians.  There  are  likewise  Chris- 
tians, and  those  of  different  sects  from  Jerusalem, 
Damascus,  Aleppo,  and  other  parts  of  Syria. 

"  With  regard  to  my  journey,  1  can  only  tell  you 
with  any  certainty,  that  I  shall  be  able '  «  j>o^s  a'^  far 
as  the  western  bound;  ;;es  of  what  is  cyV-w  ''  "sh 
Nubia  to  the  town  of  Sennaar.    I  expt  .«  ./  ^et  iiicre 


•f'  '••^..>■..• 


.■.l■  •' 


./'•*K. 


'v.,,/    ■-'"    •"••/••^•^'N  „>•'"*•»     :     '      " 


1 1 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


293 


with  some  surety.  Beyond  that  all  is  dark  before 
me.  My  wishes  and  design!^  are  to  pass  in  that  par- 
allel across  the  continent.  I  will  write  from  Sennaar 
if  1  can. 

"  You  know  the  disf'irbances  m  this  unhappy 
couptry,  and  the  nature  of  them,  fhe  Beys,  re- 
volted from  the  Bashaw,  have  possession  of  Upper 
Egypt,  and  are  now  encamped  wiih  an  army,  pitiful 
enough  indeed,  about  three  miles  soutli  of  Cairo. 
Th-  y  say  to  the  Bashaw,  '  Come  out  of  your  rity 

id  'iP!;ht  usj'  and  the  Bashaw  says,  'Come  out  of 
you.  entrenchments  and  fight  me.'  You  know  this 
revolt  is  a  stroke  in  Russian  politics.  Nothing  mer- 
its more  the  whole  force  of  burlesque,  than  both  the 
poetic  and  prosaic  legends  of  this  country.  Sweet 
are  the  songs  of  Egypt  on  paper.  Who  is  not  rav- 
ished with  gums,  balms,  dates,  figs,  pomegranates, 
circassia,  and  sycamores,  without  recollecting  that 
amidst  these  are  dust,  hot  and  fainting  winds,  bugs, 
musquitoes,  spiders,  flies,  leprosy,  fevers,  and  almost 
universal  blindness  ?  I  am  in  perfect  health.  Adieu 
for  the  present,  and  believe  me  to  be,  with  all  possi- 
ble esteem  and  regard,  your  sincere  friend." 


'%" 


,..tl     V-l     I- 


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I  . 


394 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


Remarks  on  the  appearance  of  the  country  in  |)assin^  up  the  Nile. 
— Condition  of  a  Christian  at  Cairo. — Interview  with  the  Aga. — 
.    Miscellaneous  observations  on  the  customs  of  the  Arabs,  and 
\  other  races  of  people  found  in  Cairo. — Information  respecting 
the  Interior  of  Africa. — Visit  to  the  caravans  and  slave  markets. 
-The  traveller's  reflections  on  his  condition  and  prospects. — 
His  last  letter  to  Mr  Jefferson. — Joins  a  caravan  and  prepares  to 
depart  for  Sennaar  — He  is  taken  suddenly  ill. — His  death. — Ac- 
count of  his  person  and  character. 

As  he  was  furnished  with  letters  of  recommenda- 
tion to  the  British  Consul  at  Cairo,  he  found  little 
difficulty  in  procuring  such  accommodations  as  he 
desired,  and  such  information  as  enabled  him  to  di- 
rect his  attention  immediately  to  the  great  object  of 
his  mission.  His  intention  was  to  join  a  caravan, 
bound  to  the  interior,  and  to  continue  with  it  to  the 
end  of  its  route.  Beyond  this  he  must  be  guided 
by  circumstances,  which  could  not  be  foreseen,  and 
concerning  which  no  calculation  was  to  be  made.. 
He  adopted  a  dress  suited  to  the  character  he  was 
to  assume,  and  began  in  earnest  to  study  the  man- 
ners of  the  people  around  him,  and  particularly  of 
the  traders  in  the  caravans,  which  were  then  at  Cai- 
ro. Three  months  were  passed  in  this  occupation. 
He  kept  a  journal  of  whatever  he  deemed  most  wor- 
thy of  record,  which  was  afterwards  transmitted  to 
the  African  Associatioii.  Such  parts  of  the  journaJ, 
as  are  contained  in  the  Proceedings  of  that  body, 
will  here  be  added.  They  bear  the  peculiar  marks 
of  the  author's  mind,  his  habits  of  observation,  his 
boldness  of  thought  and  opinion,  and  his  quick  per- 
ception of  resemblance  and  contrast  in  the  various 
races  of  men. 


r:i^ 


C«  I.'»,*i 


l| 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


395 


^^  August  14th. — I  left  Alexandria  at  midnight, 
with  a  pleasant  breeze  north ;  and  was,  at  sunrise 
next  morning,  at  the  mouth  of  the  Nile,  which  has 
a  bar  of  sand  across  it,  and  soundings  as  irregular  as 
the' sea,  which  is  raised  upon  it  by  the  contentions  of 
counter  currents  and  winds.  « 

'-'  *'  The  view  in  sailing  up  the  Nile  is  very  confined, 
unles|  from  the  top  of  the  mast,  or  some  other  enff-' 
nence,  and  then  it  is  an  unbounded  plain  of  excel- 
lent land,  miserably  cuUivated,  and  yet  interspersed 
with  a  great  number  of  villages,  both  on  its  banks 
and  as  far  along  the  meadows  as  one  can  see  in  any 
direction.  The  river  is  also  filled  with  boats  passing 
and  repassing — boats  all  of  one  kind,  and  navigated 
in  one  manner ;  nearly  also  of  one  size,  the  largest 
carrying  ten  or  fifteen  tons.  On  board  of  these 
boats  are  seen  onions,  watermelons,  dates,  sometimes 
a  horse,  a  camel  (which  lies  down  in  the  boat), 


sheep,  goats,  dogs,  men,  and  women.  Towards 
evening  and  morning  they  have  music. 

"  Whenever  we  stopped  at  a  village,  I  used  to 
walk  into  it  with  my  conductor,  who,  being  a  Mus- 
selman,  and  a  descendant  from  Mahomet,  wore  a 
green  turban,  and  was  therefore  respected,  and  I 
was  sure  of  safety  ;  but,  in  truth,  dressed  as  1  was 
in  a  common  Turkish  habit,  I  believe  I  should  have 
walked  as  safely  without  him.  I  saw  no  propensity 
among  the  inhabitants  to  incivility.  The  villages  are 
most  miset-able  assemblages  of  poor  little  mud  huts, 
iflung  very  close  together  without  any  kind  of  order, 
full  of  dust,  lice,  fleas,  bugs,  flies,  and  all  the  curses 
of  Moses ;  people  poorly  clad,  the  youths  naked ; 
in  such  respects,  they  rank  infinitely  below  any  sav- 
ages I  ever  saw. 

"  The  common  people  wear  nothing  but  a  shirt 


r? 


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296 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


\ 


U' 


^' 


and  drawers,  and  they  are  always  blue.  Green  is 
the  royal,  or  holy  color ;  none  but  the  descendants 
of  Mahomet,  if  I  am  rightly  informed,  being  per- 
mitted to  wear  it. 

^^  August  19th — ^From  the  little  town  where  we 
landed,  the  distance  to  Cairo  is  about  a  mile  and  a 

\  which  we  rode  on  asses  j  for  the  ass  in  this 
ntry  is  the  Christian's  horse,  as  he  is  allowed  no 
other  animal  to  ride  upon.  Indeed  I  find  the  situa- 
tion of  a  Christian,  or  what  they  more  commonly 
call  here  a  Frank,  to  be  very,  very  humiliating,  ig- 
nominious, and  distressing.  No  one,  by  a  combina- 
tion of  any  causes,  can  reason  down  to  such  effects 
as  experience  teaches  us  do  exist  here  ;  it  being  im- 
possible to  conceive,  that  the  enmity  I  have  alluded 
to  could  exist  between  men ;  or,  in  fact,  that  the 
same  species  of  beings,  from  any  causes  whatever, 
should  ever  think  and  act  so  differently  as  the  Egyp- 
tians and  the  English  do. 

"  I  arrived  at  Cairo  early  in  the  morning,  on  the 
nineteenth  of  August,  and  went  to  the  house  of  the 
Venetian  Consul,  Mr  Rosetti,  charge  d'ajSaires  for 
the  English  Consul  here.  After  dinner,  not  being 
able  to  find  any  other  lodging,  and  receiving  no  very 
pressing  invitation  from  Mr  Rosetti  to  lodge  with 
him,  I  went  to  a  convent.  This  convent  consists 
of  missionaries,  sent  by  the  Pope  to  propagate  the 
Christian  faith,  or  at  least  to  give  shelter  to  Chris- 
tians. The  Christians  here  are  principally  from 
Damascus ;  the  convent  is  governed  by  the  order  of 
RecoUets ;  a  number  of  English,  as  well  as  other 
European  travellers  have  lodged  there. 

"  August  26th. — This  day  I  was  introduced  by 
Rosetti  to  the  Aga  Mahommed,  the  confidential  min- 
ister of  Ismael,  the  most  powerful  of  the  four  ruling 


V 


'0-^^ 


/*' 


:# 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


nr 


Beys.  He  gave  me  his  hand  to  kiss,  and  with  it  the 
promise  of  letters,  protection,  and  support,  through 
Turkish  Nubia,  and  also  to  some  chiefs  far  inland. 
In  a  subsequent  conversation,  he  told  me  I  should 
see  'in  my  travels  a  people,  who  had  power  to  trans- 
mute themselves  into  the  forms  of  different  animals. 
He  asked  me  what  I  thought  of  the  affair.  I  did 
not  like  to  render  the  ignorance,  simplicity,  and  c»t<» 
dulity  of  the  Turk  apparent.  I  told  him,  that  it 
formed  a  part  of  the  character  of  all  savages  to  be 
great  necromancers;  but  that  I  had  never  before 
heard  of  any  so  great,  as  those  which  he  had  done 
me  the  honor  to  describe ;  that  it  had  rendered  me 
more  anxious  to  be  on  my  voyage,  and  if  I  passed 
among  them,  I  would,  in  the  letter  I  promised  to 
write  to  him,  give  him  a  more  particular  account  of 
them,  than  he  had  hitherto  had.  He  asked  me  how 
1  could  travel,  without  the  language  of  the  people 
where  I  should  pass  ?  I  told  him,  with  vocabularies. 
I  might  as  well  have  read  to  him  a  page  of  Newton's 
Principia.  He  returned  to  his  fables  again.  Is  it 
not  curious,  that  the  Egyptians  (for  I  speak  of  the 
natives  of  the  country,  as  well  as  of  him,  when  I 
make  the  observation)  are  still  such  dupes  to  the 
arts  of  sorcery  ?  Was  it  the  same  people  who  built 
the  pyramids  ? 

"  I  cannot  understand  that  the  Turks  have  a  bet- 
ter opinion  of  our  mental  powers,  than  we  have  of 
theirs  ;  but  they  say  of  us,  that  we  are  *  a  people 
who  carry  our  minds  on  our  fingers'  ends  ; '  meaning, 
that  we  put  them  in  exercise  constantly,  and  render 
them  subservient  to  all  manner  of  purposes,  and  with 
celerity,  despatch,  and  ease,  do  what  we  do. 

"I  suspect  the  Copts  to  have  been  the  origin  of 
the  Negro  race  5  the  nose  and  lips  correspond  with 


*  I 


m 


■■■"^.-W***!*--*'**'**'  ♦  •'^■•'♦'*-^-'*'1*...,.**->  .--I"  ■»^<>-f«.«'*  f- 


298 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


>. 


those  of  the  Negro.  The  hair,  whenever  I  can  pee 
it  among  the  people  here  (the  Copts),  is  curled ;  not 
close  like  the  Negroes,  hut  like  the  Mulatto^s.  I 
observe  a  greater  variety  of  color  among  the  human 
species  here,  than  in  any  other  country ;  and  a 
greater  variety  of  feature,  than  in  any  other  country 
not  possessing  a  greater  degree  of  civiUzation.  I 
have  seen  an  Abyssinian  woman,  and  a  Bengal  man  ; 
the  color  is  the  same  in  both  ;  so  are  their  features 
and  persons. 

"  I  have  seen  a  small  mummy ;  it  has  what  I  call 
wampum-work  on  it.  It  appears  as  common  here 
as  among  the  Tartars.  Tattooing  is  as  prevalent 
among  the  Arabs  of  this  place,  as  among  the  South 
Sea  islanders.  It  is  a  little  curious,  that  the  women 
here  are  more  generally  than  in  any  other  part  of 
the  world  tattooed  on  the  chin,  with  perpendicular 
lines  descending  from  the  under  lip  to  the  chin,  Uke 
the  women  on  the  Northwest  Coast  of  America.  It 
is  also  a  custom  here  to  stain  the  nails  red,  like  the 
Cochin  Chinese,  and  the  northern  Tartars.  The 
mask,  or  veil,  that  the  wqmen  here  wear,  resembles 
exactly  that  worn  by  the  priests  at  Qtaheite,  and 
those  seen  at  the  Sandwich  Islands. 
»  "  I  have  not  yet  seen  the  Arabs  make  use  of  a 
tool,  like  our  axe  or  hatchet ;  but  what  they  use  for 
such  purposes,  as  we  do  our  hatchet  and  axe,  is  in 
the  form  of  an  adze,  and  is  a  form  we  found  most 
agreeable  to  the  South  Sea  islanders.  I  see  no  in- 
stance of  a  tool  formed  designedly  for  the  use  of  the 
right  or  left  hand  particularly,  as  the  coiogon  is 
among  the  Yakuti  Tartars.      !t      ■'  ^^  ..;      u^  v  <   • 

"  There  is  certainly  a  very  remarkable  affinity  be- 
tween the  Russian  and  Greek  dress.  The  fillet 
round  the  temples  of  the  Greek  and  Russian  women 


# 


■  \.r 


n,— •--»».,, ,-' 


./-.    ..^    ^<«.»>'^  , 


..*W„r*'*i*-^ 


1.7 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYAitt). 


299 


is  a  circumstance  in  dress,  that  perhaps  would  strike 
nobody  as  it  does  me ;  and  so  of  the  wampum-work 
too,  which  is  also  found,  among  them  both.  They 
spin  here  with  the  distaff  and  spindle  only,  like  the 
French  peasantry,  and  others  in  Europe ;  and  the 
common  Axab  loom  is  upon  our  principle,  though 
rude.  I  saw  to-day  an  Arab  woman  white,  like  the 
white  Indians  in  the  South  Sea  islands,  and  at  tlte 
Isthmus  of  Darien.  These  kind  of  people  all  look 
alike.  Among  the  Greek  women  here,  I  find  the 
identical  Archangel  headdress. 

"  Their  music  is  instrumental,  consisting  of  a 
drum  and  pipe,  both  which  resemble  those  two  in- 
struments in  the  South  Seas.  The  drum  is  exactly 
like  the  Otaheite  drum ;  the  pipe  is  made  of  cane, 
and  consists  of  a  long  and  short  tube  joined ;  the 
music  resembles  very  much  the  bagpipe,  and  is 
pleasant.  All  their  music  is  concluded,  if  not  ac- 
companied, by  the  clapping  of  hands.  I  think  it 
singular,  that  the  women  here  make  a  noise  with 
their  mouths  like  frogs,  and  that  this  frog  music  is 
always  made  at  weddings ;  and  I  believe  on  all 
other  occasions  of  merriment,  where  there  are  wo- 
men. 

"  It  is  remarkable,  that  the  dogs  here  are  of  just 
the  same  species  found  among  the  Otaheitans.  It 
is  also  remarkable,  that  in  one  village  I  saw  exactly 
the  same  machines  used  for  diversion  as  in  Russia. 
I  forget  the  Russian  name  for  it.  It  is  a  large  kind 
of  wheel,  on  the  extremities  of  which  there  iare 
suspended  seas,  in  which  people  are  whirled  round 
over  and  under  each  other. 

"  The  women  dress  their  hair  behind,  exactly  in 
the  same  manner  in  which  the  women  of  the  Kal- 
muk  Tartars  dress  theirs. 


f 


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I   ; 


i 


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800 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


% 


'0. 


\\ 


<<In  the  history  of  the  kingdom  of  Benin,  in 
Guinea,  the  chiefs  are  called  ^ree  Roee  or  street 
kings.  Among  the  islands  of  the  South  Sea,  Ota- 
heite,  and  others,  they  call  the  chiefs  Jlrees^  and  the 
great  chiefs  Aree  le  Hoi.  I  think  this  curious  ;  and 
so  I  do,  that  it  is  a  custom  of  the  Arabs  to  spread  a 
blanket,  when  they  would  invite  any  one  to  eat  or 
rest  with  them.  The  American  Indians  spread  the 
beaver  skins  on  such  occasions.  The  Arabs  of  the 
deserts,  like  the  Tartars,  have  an  invincible  attach- 
ment to  liberty ;  no  arts  will  reconcile  them  to  any 
other  Ufe,  or  lorm  of  government,  however  modified. 
This  is  a  character  given  me  here  of  the  Arabs.  It 
is  singular,  that  the  Arab  language  has  no  word  for 
liberty^  although  it  has  for  slaves.  The  Arabs,  like 
the  New-Zealanders,  engage  with  a  long,  strong 
spear. 

"  I  have  made  the  best  inquiries  I  have  been  able, 
since  I  have  been  here,  of  the  nature  of  the  country 
before  me ;  of  Sennaar,  Darfoor,  Wangara,  of  Nu- 
bia, Abyssinia,  of  those  named,  or  unknown  by 
name.  1  should  have  been  happy  to  have  sent  you 
better  information  of  those  places,  than  I  am  yet 
able  to  do.  It  will  appear  very  singular  to  you 
in  England,  that  we  in  Egypt  are  so  ignorant  of 
countries,  which  we  annually  visit.  The  Egyptians 
know  as  httle  of  geography,  as  the  generality  of  the 
French ;  and,  like  them,  sing,  dance,  and  traffic 
without  it. 

"  I  have  the  best  assurances  of  a  certain  and  safe 
conduct,  by  the  return  of  the  caravan  that  is  arrived 
from  Sennaar ;  and  Mr  Rosetti  tells  me,  that  the 
letters  I  shall  have  from  the  Aga  here,  will  insure  me 
of  being  conveyed  from  hand  to  hand,  to  my  jour- 
ney's end.    The  Mahometans  in  Africa  are  what  the 


/    '  '■ 


:\\ 


.*: 


i 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


301 


Russians  are  in  Siberia,  a  trading,  enterprising,  su- 
perstitious, warlike  set  of  vagabonds,  and  wherever^ 
they  are  set  upon  going,  they  will  and  do  go ;  but^ 
they  neither  can  nor  do  make  voyages  merely  com- 
mercial, or   merely  religious,   across  Africa ;    and 
where  we  do  not  find  them  in  commerce,  we  find 
them  not  at  all.     They  cannot,  however  vehemently' 
pushed  on  by  religion,  afford  to  cross  the  continent   . 
without  trading  by  the  way. 

"  October  14th. — I  went  to-day  to  the  market- 
place, where  they  vend  the  black  slaves,  that  come 
from  towards  the  interior  parts  of  Africa.  There 
were  two  hundred  of  them  together,  dressed  and 
ornamented  as  in  their  country.  The  appearance  of 
a  savage  in  every  region  is  almost  the  same.  There 
were  very  few  men  among  them ;  this  indicates  that 
they  are  prisoners  of  war.  They  have  a  great 
many  beads,  and  other  ornaments  about  them,  that 
are  from  the  East.  I  was  told  by  one  of  them,  that 
they  came  from  the  west  of  Sennaar,  fifty-five  days' 
journey,  which  may  be  about  four  or  five  hundred 
miles.  A  Negro  chief  said,  tlie  Nile  had  its  source 
in  his  country.  In  general  they  had  their  hair 
plaited  in  a  great  number  of  small  detached  plaits, 
none  exceeding  in  length  six  or  eight  inches ;  the 
hair  wag  filled  with  grease  and  dirt,  purposely  daub- 
ed on. 

-i>«  October  16th. — I  have  renewed  my  visit  to-day, 
and  passed  it  more  agreeably  than  yesterday ;  for 
yesterday  I  was  rudely  treated.  The  Franks  are 
prohibited  to  purchase  slaves,  and  therefore  the 
Turks  do  not  Hke  to  see  them  in  the  market.  Mr 
Rosetli  favored  me  with  one  of  his  running  charge 
d'affaires  to  accompany  me  ;  but  having  observed 
yesterday  among  the  ornaments  of  the  Negroes  a 
20 


j^t  • 


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p- 

rft- 

1  *< 

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W 

I 

t 

S02 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


variety  of  beads,  and  wanting  to  know  from  what 
^  country  they  came,  I  requested  Mr  Rosetti,  previ- 
ously to  my  second  visit,  to  show  me  from  hfs  store 
samples  of  Venetian  beads.  He  showed  me  sam- 
ples of  fifteen  hundred  different  kinds  j  after  this  I 
I  set  out. 

"  The  name  of  the  country  these  savages  come 
from  is  Darfoor,  and  is  well  known  on  account  of 
the  slave  trade,  as  well  as  of  that  in  gum  and  ele- 
phants' teeth.  The  appearance  of  these  Negroes 
declares  them  to  be  a  people  in  as  savage  a  state 
as  any  people  can  be ;  but  not  of  so  savage  a  tfem- 
per,  or  of  that  species  of  countenance,  that  indicates 
savage  intelligence.  They  appear  a  harmless  wild 
people ;  but  they  are  mostly  young  women. 

"  The  beads  they  are  ornamented  with  are  Vene- 
tian J  and  they  have  some  Venetian  brass  medals, 
which  the  Venetians  make  for  trade.  The  beads 
are  worked  wampum-wise.  I  know  not  where  they 
"got  the  marine  shells  they  worked  among  their  beads, 
nor  how  they  could  have  seen  white  men.  I  asked 
them  if  they  would  use  me  well  in  their  country,  if  I 
should  visit  it?  They  said.  Yes;  and  added  that 
they  should  make  a  king  of  me,  and  treat  me  with 
all  the  delicacies  of  their  country.  Like  the  Egyp- 
^  tian  women,  and  hke  most  other  savages,  they  stick 
on  ornaments  wherever  they  can,  and  wear,  like 
them,  a  great  ring  in  the  nose,  either  from  the  car- 
tilage, or  from  the  side  ;  they  also  rub  on  some 
black  kind: of  paint  round  the  eyes,  like  the  Egyp- 
tian women.  They  are  a  sizeable,  well-formed 
people,  quite  black,  with  what,  I  believe,  we  call  the 
true  Guinea  face,  and  with  curled  short  hair ;  but 
aot  more  curled  or  shorter  than  1  have  seen  it  among 
the  Egyptians ;  but  in  general  these  savages  plait  it 


M- 


^- . 


-  ■^^fc'j^tiSlitfe-^V:^ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


303 


in  tassels  plastered  with  clay  or  paint.  Among  some 
of  them  the  hair  is  a  foot  long,  and  curled,  resemb- 
ling exactly  one  of  our  mops.  The  prevailing  color, 
where  it  can  be  seen,  is  a  black  and  red  mixed.  I 
think  it  would  make  any  hair  curl,  even  Uncle  Toby's 
wig,  to  be  plaited  and  plastered  as  this  is.  This 
caravan,  which  I  call  the  Darfoor  caravan,  is  not 
very  rich.     The  Sennaar  is  the  rich  caravan.         ih 

"  October  19th. — 1  went  yesterday  to  see  if  more 
of  the  Darfoor  caravan  had  arrived  ;  but  they  were 
not.  I  wonder  why  travellers  to  Cairo  have  not 
visited  these  slave  markets,  and  conversed  with  the 
Jelabs,  or  travelling  merchants  of  these  caravans ; 
both  are  certainly  sources  of  great  information.  The 
eighth  part  of  the  money  expended  on  other  ac- 
counts, might  here  answer  some  good  solid  purpose. 
For  my  part,  I  have  not  expended  a  crown,  and  I 
have  a  bettor  idea  of  the  people  of  Africa,  of  its 
trade,  of  the  position  of  places,  the  nature  of  the 
country,  and  manner  of  travelling,  than  ever  I  had 
by  any  other  means ;  and,  I  believe,  better  than  any 
other  means  would  afford  me. 

"  October  25th. — I  have  been  again  to  the  slave 
market ;  but  neither  the  Jelabs  (a  name  which  in 
this  country  is  given  to  all  travelling  merchants),  nor 
the  slaves,  are  yet  arrived  in  town  ;  they  will  be  here 
to-morrow.  I  met  two  or  three  in  the  street,  and  one 
with  a  shield  and  spear.  1  have  understood  to-day, 
that  the  king  of  Sennaar  is  himself  a  merchant,  and 
concerned  in  the  Sennaar  caravans.  The  merchant 
here,  who  contracts  to  convey  me  to  Sennaar,  is 
Procurer  at  Cairo  to  the  King  of  Sennaar ;  this  is  a 
good  circumstance,  and  one  I  knev/  not  of  till  to-day. 
Mr  Rosetti  informed  me  of  it.  He  informed  ma 
also,  that  this  year  the  importation  of  Negro  slaves 


w* 


^''^■j:  ^^!!»"•.'■.•^  iij^,.-;*^-'*-^-  -,.-  ^ . 


"^—•■^•' 


804 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


•    I 


11 


into  Egypt  will  amount  to  twenty  thousand.  The 
caravans  from  the  interior  countries  of  Africa  do  not 
arrive  here  uniformly  every  year  ;  they  are  some- 
times absent  two  or  three  years.  f 

"  Among  a  dozen  of  Sennaar  slaves,  I  saw  three 
personable  men  of  a  good  bright  olive  color,  of  viva- 
cious and  intelligent  countenances ;  but  they  had  all 
three  (which  first  attracted  my  notice)  heads  uncom- 
monly formed  ;  the  forehead  was  the  narrowest,  the 
longest,  and  most  protuberant  I  ever  saw.  Many  of 
these  slaves  speak  a  few  words  of  the  Arab  language  ; 
but  whether  they  learned  them  before  or  since  their 
captivity  I  cannot  t§ll.  tH<*'iy  -4 

"  A  caravan  goes  from  here  to  Fezzan,  which 
they  call  a  journey  of  fifty  days  ;  and  from  Fezzar^ 
to  Tombuctou,  which  they  call  a  journey  of  ninety 
days.  The  caravans  travel  about  twenty  miles  a 
day,  which  makes  the  distance  on  the  road  from 
here  to  Fezzan,  one  thousand  miles ;  and  from 
Fezzan  to  Tombuctou,  one  thousand  eight  hundred 
miles.  From  here  to  Sennaar  is  reckoned  six  hun- 
dred miles.  I  have  been  waiting  se  eial  days  to 
have  an  interview  with  the  Jelabs,  wtio  go  from 
hence  to  Sennaar.  I  am  told  that  they  carry,  in 
general,  trinkets ;  but  among  other  things  soap,  anti- 
mony, red  linen,  razors,  scissars,  mirrors,  beads ; 
and,  as  far  as  I  can  yet  learn,  they  bring  from  Sen- 
naar elephants'  teeth,  the  gum  called  here  gum 
Sennaar,  camels,  ostrich  feathers,  and  slaves. 

"  Wangara  is  talked  of  here  as  a  place  producing 
much  gold,  and  as  a  kingdom  ;  all  accounts,  and 
there  are  many,  agree  in  this.  'I'he  King  of  Wan- 
gara (whom  I  hope  to  see  in  about  three  months  after 
leaving  this)  is  said  to  dispose  of  just  what  quantity 
he  pleases  of  his  gold ;  sometimes  a  great  deal,  and 


'^  . 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


30& 


.  The 
do  not 
some- 


sometimes  little  or  none  ;  and  this,  it  is  said,  he  doet 
to  prevent  strangers  knowing  how  rich  he  is,  and 
that  he  may  live  in  peace." 

In  a  letter  to  the  Association  are  expressed  hit 
undiminished  zeal  in  their  cause,  the  high  motives 
which  impelled  him  onward,  and  his  utter  indiffer- 
ence to  everything  but  the  success  of  his  undertak- 
ing. 

"  Money  !  it  is  a  vile  slave  !  I  have  at  present  an 
economy  of  a  more  exalted  kind  to  observe.  I  have 
the  eyes  of  some  of  the  first  men  of  the  first  king- 
dom on  earth  turned  upon  me.  I  am  engaged  by 
those  very  men,  in  the  most  important  object  that 
any  private  individual  can  be  engaged  in.  I  have 
their  approbation  to  acquire  or  to  lose  ;  and  their 
esteem,  also,  which  I  prize  beyond  everything,  ex- 
cept the  independent  idea  of  serving  mankind. 
Should  rashness  or  desperation  carry  me  through, 
whatever  fame  the  vain  and  injudicious  might  be- 
stow, I  should  not  accept  of  it ;  it  is  the  good  and 
great  I  look  to ;  fame  bestowed  by  them  is  alto- 
gether different,  and  is  closely  allied  to  a  *  Well 
done '  from  God  ;  but  rashness  will  not  be  likely  to 
carry  me  through,  any  more  than  timid  caution. 
To  find  the  necessary  medium  of  conduct,  to 
vary  and  apply  it  to  contingencies,  is  the  economy 
I  allude  to ;  and  if  I  succeed  by  such  means,  men  of 
sense  in  any  succeeding  epoch  will  not  blush  to  fol- 
low me,  and  perfect  those  discoveries,  which  I  have 
only  abilities  to  trace  out  roughly,  or  a  disposition 
to  attempt.  A  Turkish  sopha  has  no  charms  for  me  ; 
if  it  had,  I  could  soon  obtain  one  here.  Believe 
me,  a  single  '  Well  done'  from  your  Association  ha» 
more  worth  in  it  to  me,  than  all  the  trappings  of  the 
East;  and  what  is  still  more  precious,  is,  the  pleag- 
26*  ■ 


^*>:' 


:,^'-' 
''•^'::. 


906 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LCDYARD. 


\i 


ik    T: 


ure  I  have  in  the  justification  of  my  own  conduct  at 
the  tribunal  of  my  own  heart." 

**  On  tlie  fifteenth  of  November  ho  again  wrote  to 
Mr  Jefferson  as  follows. 

"  This  is  my  third  letter  to  you  from  Egypt.  I 
should  certainly  write  to  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette, 
if  I  knew  where  to  find  him.  I  speak  of  him  often 
among  the  French  at  Cairo.  But  if  our  news  here, 
with  respect  to  the  affairs  of  France,  be  authentic, 
he  would  hardly  find  time  to  read  my  letter,  if  his 
active  spirit  is  employed  in  the  conflict  in  proportion 
to  its  powers.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  my  com- 
pliments may  reach  him,  and  I  desire  it  may  be 
through  your  means.  Tell  him  that  I  love  him,  and 
that  the  French  patriots  in  Cairo  call  on  the  name 
of  Suffrein  and  La  Fayette,  the  one  for  point-blank 
honesty,  and  the  other  as  the  soldier  and  the  cour- 
tier. The  old  veteran  in  finance  and  civil  economy, 
Mr  Necker,  is  welcomed  to  the  hehn. 

"  I  have  now  been  in  Cairo  three  months,  and  it 
is  within  a  few  days  only,  that  I  have  had  any  cer- 
tainty of  being  able  to  proceed  in  the  prosecution  of 
my  voyage.  The  difficulties  that  have  attended  me, 
have  occupied  me  day  and  night.     I  should  other- 

*  wise  not  only  have  written  to  you  oftener,  but  should 
have  given  you  some  little  history  of  what  I  have 
heard  and  seen.  My  excuse  now  is,  that  1  am 
doing  up  my  baggage  for  my  journey,  and  most  cu- 
rious baggage  it  is.  I  shall  leave  Cairo  in  two  or 
three  days. 

■  "  Perhaps  I  should  not  have  pleased  you,  if  I  had 
written  much  in  detail.  I  think  I  know  your  taste 
for  ancient  history ;  it  does  not  comport  with  what 
experience  teaches  me.  The  enthusiastic  avidity 
with  which  you  search  for  treasures  in  Egypt,  and  I 


-.1 


LIFE  OP  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


307 


suppose  all  over  the  East,  ought  in  justice  to  the 
world,  and  your  own  generous  propensities,  to  be 
modified,  corrected,  and  abated.  J  should  have 
written  you  the  truth.  It  is  disagreeable  to  hear  it, 
when  habit  has  accustomed  one  to  falsehood.  You 
have  the  travels  of  Savary  in  this  country.  Burn 
them.  Without  entering  into  a  discussion,  that 
would  be  too  long  for  a  letter,  I  cannot  tell  you  why 
I  think  most  historians  have  written  more  to  satisfy 
themselves,  than  to  benefit  others.  I  am  certainly 
very  angry  with  those,  who  have  written  of  the 
countries  where  I  have  travelled,  and  of  this  par- 
ticularly. They  have  all  more  or  less  deceived  me. 
In  some  cases  perhaps  it  is  difficult  to  determine, 
which  does  the  most  mischief,  the  self-love  of  the 
historian,  or  the  curiosity  of  the  reader ;  but  both 
together  have  led  us  into  errors,  that  it  is  now  too 
late  to  rectify.  You  will  think  my  head  is  turned,  to 
write  you  such  a  letter  from  Egypt  j  but  the  reason 
is,  I  do  not  intend  it  shall  be  turned.       -t.-^-i 

"  I  have  passed  my  time  disagreeably  here.  Reli> 
'  gion  does  more  mischief  in  Egypt  than  all  other 
Slings,  and  here  it  has  always  done  more  than  in 
most  other  places.  The  humiliating  situation  of  a 
Frank  would  be  insupportable  to  me,  except  for  my 
voyage.  It  is  a  shame  to  the  sflns  of  Europe,  that 
they  should  suffer  such  arrogance  at  the  hands  of  a 
banditti  of  ignorant  fanatics.  I  assure  myself,  that 
even  your  curiosity  and  love  of  antiquity  would  not 
detain  you  in  Egypt  three  months.      ;   '  * 

"  From  Cairo  I  am  to  travel  southwest  about  three 
hundred  leagues  to  a  black  king.  Then  my  present 
conductors  will  leave  me  to  my  fate.  Beyond,  I 
suppose  I  shall  go  alone.  1  expect  to  cut  the  con- 
tinent across  between  the  parallels  of  twelve  and 


$!fmt>» 


iiwt.tmx  11 


rirttfrnjiifigSj^ 


It*' 


308 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


* ,» 
Sk 


twenty  degrees  of  north  latitude.  If  possible,  I  shall 
write  you  from  the  kingdom  of  this  black  gentle- 
man. \i  not,'  do  not  forget  me  in  the  interval  of 
time,  which  may  pass  during  my  voyage  from  thence 
to  Europe,  and  as  likely  to  France  as  anywhere. 
I  shall  not  forget  you  ;  indeed,  it  will  be  a  consola- 
tion to  think  of  you  in  my  last  moments.    Be  happy." 

This  is  the  last  letter,  which  Ledyard  is  known  to 
have  written,  either  to  Mr  Jefferson  or  to  any  other 
person.  He  wrote  to  the  secretary  of  the  Associa-- 
tion,  probably  by  the  same  conveyance,  stating  that, 
after  much  vexatious  delay,  all  things  were  at  last 
ready  for  his  departure,  and  that  his  next  communi- 
cation might  be  expected  from  Sennaar.  The  Aga 
had  given  him  letters  of  recommendation,  his  pas- 
sage was  engaged,  the  terms  settled,  and  the  day 
fixed,  on  which  the  caravan  was  to  leave  Cairo. 
He  wrote  in  good  spirits  and  apparent  health,  and 
the  confidence  of  the  Association  had  never  been 
more  firm,  nor  their  hopes  more  sanguine,  than  at 
this  juncture.  Their  extreme  disappointment  may 
well  be  imagined,  therefore,  when  the  next  letters 
from  Egypt  brought  the  melancholy  intelligence  of 
his  death. 

During  his  residence  at  Cairo,  his  pursuits  had 
made  it  necessary  for  him  to  be  much  exposed  to 
the  heat  of  the  sun,  and  to  other  deleterious  influen- 
ces of  the  climate,  at  the  most  unfavorable  season  of 
the  year.  The  consequence  was  an  attack  of  a 
bilious  complaint,  which  he  thought  to  remove  by  the 
common  remedy  of  vitrioHc  acid.  Whether  this  was 
administered  by  himself,  or  by  some  other  person,  is 
not  related,  but  the  quantity  taken  was  so  great,  as 
to  produce  violent  and  burning  pains,  that  threatened 
to  bo  fatal,  unless  immediate  relief  could  be  procur- 


« 


^^:- 


) 
/ 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


309 


shaU 

lentle- 

m\  of 

lence 

rhere. 

Insola- 

fppy-" 

Wn  to 
other 


ed.  This  was  attempted  by  a  powerful  dose  of 
tartar  emetic.  But  all  was  in  vain.  The  best  medi- 
cal skill  in  Cairo  was  called  to  his  aid  without  effect, 
and  ho  closed  his  Ufe  of  vicissitude  and  toil,  at  the 
mpment  when  he  imagined  his  severest  cares  were 
over,  and  the  prospects  before  him  were  more  flat- 
tering than  they  had  been  at  any  former  period. 
He  was  decently  interred,  and  all  suitable  respect 
was  paid  to  his  obsequies  by  such  friends,  as  he  had 
found  among  the  European  residents  in  the  capital 
of  Egypt. 

The  precise  day  of  his  death  is  not  known,  but  tho 
event  is  supposed  to  have  happened  towards  the  end 
of  November,  1788.  He  was  then  in  the  thirty- 
eighth  year  of  his  age. 

So  much  has  been  drawn  from  the  traveller's  own 
writings  in  the  preceding  narrative,  that  nothing  can 
be  added  to  make  the  reader  better  acquainted  with 
the  constitution  of  his  mind,  the  qualities  of  his  heart, 
or  the  characteristics  of  his  geniue.  Mr  Beaufoy'a 
description  of  him  is  short,  but  discriminating,  and 
the  more  worthy  of  regard,  as  having  been  founded 
on  personal  knowledge. 

"  To  those  who  have  never  seen  Mr  Ledyard  It 
may  not,  perhaps,  be  uninteresting  to  know,  that  his 
person,  though  scarcely  exceeding  the  middle  size, 
was  remarkably  expressive  of  activity  and  strength } 
and  that  his  manners,  though  unpolished,  were  nei- 
ther uncivil  nor  unpleasing.  Little  attentive  to  dif- 
ference of  rank,  he  seemed  to  consider  all  men  as 
his  equals,  and  as  such  he  respected  them.  His 
genius,  though  uncultivated  and  irregular,  was  ori- 
ginal and  comprehensive.  Ardent  in  his  wishes,  yet 
calm  in  his  deliberations ;  daring  in  his  purposes,  but 
guarded  in  his  measures  j  impatient  of  control,  yet 


■rJsXS: 


;%, 


sio 


LIFE  OF  JOHN  LEDYARD. 


* 


capable  of  strong  endurance ;  adventurous  beyond 
the  conception  of  ordinary  men,  yet  wary,  and  con- 
siderate, and  attentive  to  all  precautions,  he  appeared 
to  be  formed  by  Nature  for  achievements  of  hardihood 
and  peril." 

His  letters  afford  convincing  proofs  of  his  kind 
and  amiable  disposition,  gratitude  to  his  benefactors, 
humanity,  and  disinterestedness.  Thi,-^  last  virtue, 
indeed,  he  practised  to  an  excess.  No  man  ever 
acted  with  less  re^ird  to  self,  or  on  a  broader 
scale  of  philanthropy  and  general  good.  That  he 
finally  accomplished  little,  compared  with  the  mag- 
nitude of  his  designs,  was  his  misfortune,  but  not  his 
fault.  Had  he  been  less  eccentric,  however,  in 
some  of  his  peculiarities,  more  attentive  to  his  im- 
mediate interests,  more  regardful  of  the  force  of 
circumstances,  it  is  possible  that  his  efforts  would 
have  been  rewarded  with  better  success.  The  acts 
of  his  Ufe  demand  notice  less  on  account  of  their 
results,  than  of  the  spirit  with  which  they  were  per- 
formed, and  tiie  uncommon  traits  of  character  which 
prompted  to  their  execution.  Such  instances  of 
decision,  energy,  perseverance,  fortitude,  and  enter- 
prise, have  rarely  been  witnessed  in  the  same  indi- 
vidual ;  and  in  the  exercise  of  these  high  attributes 
of  mind,  his  example  cannot  be  too  much  admired 
or  imitated.  ..... 


4;.\  ?■;  /;.   i         ■'■■ 

THE  END. 

'■^'}  ''':''  ■*• 

.^-  _  ,A^di    1:    .'.■ 

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